Son of the Underworld
by ncalkins
Summary: What if Percy was the son of Hades? What if Poseidon never broke the oath? What if Grover was never Percy's friend? What if Percy was an outcast among humans and demigods a like, how would he servive? Read to find out! OOC, and AU Working on chapter 6: 48 pages on openoffice and 15084 words.
1. Chapter 1

_**Son of the underworld chapter 1**_

Ncalkins dose not own Percy Jackson, ooc, AU, Listening to Chris de Burgh "Don't Pay The Ferryman" no beta

Percy Jackson laid on the bus seat that was on its way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek art and Myths. To Percy who was stuck on a bus filled with twenty-eight mental case kids and two teachers, it was torture.

Percy's black sneakers stuck out into the isle of the bus, not that he was worried about kicking anyone. The two seats in front of him were empty and so were the ones behind him and the seats next to him, there was a gigantic hole were he was sitting. Kids crammed themselves up front and down back, trying to get away from him. The teachers sat with them, Mr. Burner the coolest history teacher ever that smelled like coffee was up front with Percy's roommate Grover.

See Mr. Burner is paralyzed from the waist down, however that did not stop him from being the coolest teacher ever! He would show up to class with a sword and channeling them at sword point to write down every Greek down, what god they worshiped and who was their mother. He was also Percy's favorite teacher because he did not hate/fear him; see Percy is what most people would call an outsider.

He did not even consider his roommate Grover his friend. Grover was a skinny kid and the only one in sixth grade that had acne and the start of a beard. He also was a cripple that was excused form PE for the rest of his life, but that did not stop him from running for the cafeteria on enchilada day. Percy and Grover tried to be friends, but they just did not seem to click. Grover seemed to find Percy creepy, once he even jokingly said that he had an aura of death around him. However, that did not stop Grover from stalking him at a respectable distance, of course, Grover would deny it but Percy just had a feeling. Therefore, Grover who seemed to watch Percy was starting to creep Percy out.

'_I have no friends, what do I need a stalker for?' _Percy thought as he sat up, the bus coming to a screeching halt. Kids and teachers filed out, Percy being the last one off the bus and once again, there seemed to be an invisible barrier that stopped people from getting to close to him.

Percy sighed as he followed the kids and teachers into the museum. As he looked around at the black and orange pottery and the white steles, he felt a smile pluck at his lips. Mr. Burner was leading the tour; he was talking about the myths. Stopping at one of the steles, he began to explain some of the sequences that were carved into the white marble.

Percy was paying attention though it was somewhat hard with everyone whispering around him. So he moved up front and the kids parted like the red sea, they moved back and away as they began to talk again a well-placed glare silenced them. Percy was listening to Mr. Burner talk about Kornos becoming paranoid and eating his children.

'_How stupid power makes people. They think their eliminating the treat when in all reality their breeding fears and creating a new more powerful enemy. Desperation.' _Percy mused in his thoughts, personally, he would have brainwashed all his children into liking maybe even loving him and then have them protect their poor wounded dad.

Percy tensed and looked out of the corner of his eye. Grover had stepped out of the crowd and closer to Percy.

'_Stalker,' _Percy__hissed in his head. _'I really hope he isn't a rapist.' _

Percy scooted away from Grover and consequently closer to Ms. Dodds. Percy eyed her and suddenly he felt very trapped. Mrs. Dodds was an old math teacher that took the place of their old one that had a mental break down. She wore a leather jacket and looked mean enough to ride a Harley into your locker. From day one, she loved Nancy Bobofit - a bully that had a probable with stealing- and figured Percy was devil spawn.

"So Zeus caused Kronos to regurgitate his brothers and sister, and together they brought the tyrant titan down. On that happy not, Mrs. Dodds please lead us outside for lunch." Mr. Burner said ignoring the ewws at the beginning of his speech and then he wheeled out following the boys that pushed each other and the girls that traveled in packs.

Chiron's eyes fell upon Percy as he walked outside, once again alone. It was strange usually demigods at least make one friends, but Percy seemed to repel people.

"_**He smells like death and decay sir, like the very earth that is piled on the grave."**_

"He is probably just the son of Thanatos or some lower level death god." Chiron muttered it was not as if Percy had done anything to prove him wrong. Percy seemed like a perfectly normal human, if Grover had not been the one that told him about Percy, he would have gone back to Camp Half Blood. However something made Chiron stay, it felt like a bubbling brook of power was underneath Percy's very skin.

Percy felt eyes on his back, _'Mr. Burner is burning holes in your back.' _A deep voice said with in Percy's head. _'Stay low and out of trouble, now go eat your lunch and eat those vegetables.'_

Percy felt a laugh bubble in his throat; it was not the first time that voice spoke to him. It also was not the first time he wondered of he was schizophrenic. Percy shrugged that question off -he had asked himself the same question before it never gave results- , the voice hurt him or anyone else. It actually looked out for him, telling him when something is wrong, it even told him to take better care of himself. TThe only time the voice ever got angry was when someone hurt him or when he was around Gabe, he always got the feeling the voice was a centimeter from cussing those times.

Percy took his lunch box form the security office where all the kids' things were stored. He waited until everyone left consumed by thought.

He remembered telling his mom about the voice, how her sea green eyes brightened.

"_**It's probably your guardian angel."**_

"_**What's a guardian angel, mommy?"**_

"_**A guardian angel is a spirit that protects good people from the evil of the world."**_

"Percy, are you not coming out to eat?" A voice called breaking Percy out of the memory world he had built for himself.

Percy looked up and inwardly groaned, _'Great its stalker goat.' _The deep voice complained in his head, Percy felt his eyebrow rise as he nodded at Grover and followed him out.

'_What did you mean by goat?' _Percy asked the voice, he often did that when he was young. The voice was silent gone away like the sprits of a loved one.

Percy reached the outside with Grover; Mr. Burner was eating celery reading a book under a red umbrella like a motorized café. Percy started down the steps passing a glaring Ms. Dodds and a stealing Nancy; Grover followed him like a lost puppy. They sat down under a tree away from the school of freaks that could not make it anywhere else.

Percy opened his lunch and thought about how when he was little he use to pretend that the voice was his dad. Percy eyes darkened -so much they looked black- at the forbidden thought, his dad had stayed long enough to sire him then he left never seen again. A flash of a memory appeared in his mind, a soft smile and the gentle warn hand running through his hair.

Percy shook his head from that memory; it was just a dream, a wish that would never come true. From in his head he felt regret and sadness, _'Great I'm bipolar too.' _Percy thought as he gave Grover his apple.

Percy began to eat his lunch and as requested by the voice he ate his veggies. As Percy fell into a pattern of taking a bite, chewing and repeating his thoughts fell to his mom. How he missed her, with soft brown hair -a little grey peeking through, not that she was old far from it!- he got his sea green eyes from her, but she said his eyes turned black just like is dad's. She said that deadbeat loser was away at work, well why not at lease write a letter or something!

Percy finished his lunch with no problem, he was putting away his lunch box when Nancy came over and spilled her lunch all over Percy and Grover. Cheeto freckles crinkled as she smiled nastily, but that smile disappeared when she saw Percy's glare. Apparently, the leftovers were meant for Grover, Percy was just the innocent bystander, which did not matter though. Percy was already ticked because of his stupid father, his stupid teachers, his stupid school and the stupid kids that would have been his friends if they would just get to know him!

Percy felt his anger shake his entire frame, it felt like flames licked at his blood, he wanted this girl to be scared…but most of all he wanted a friend that understood, but that would never happen.

"Percy pushed me!" Nancy screamed as if her head was about to be chopped off.

Mrs. Dodds appeared with a smug look, as if she had been waiting for something like this. She checked to see if Nancy was okay promising a new shirt; the one she had on was dirty and had a hole in it.

"Now honey." She started, "I know a month erasing blackboard." Percy interjected gloomy.

"It was me, I pushed her!" Grover yelped he could not let Percy be harmed. Even if they were not friends, it was still his duty to protect him.

Percy gave him a bewildered look as a warm feeling over took him, no one has every protected him before. Maybe he was wrong about Grover, maybe they could be friends.

Mrs. Dodds glared so hard at Grover his furry chin trembled. "Percy Jackson, come with me. Grover Underwood you stay."

Mrs. Dodds grabbed Percy by the arm and dragged him to the building. Percy glared over his shoulder at Nancy and looked in wonder at Grover, who was shooting looks at Mr. Burner. However, Mr. Burner was too into his book and celery to notice anything.

They walked through empty galleries at one point Percy thought she was going to have him buy Nancy a shirt. That was not the case; they went to the Greek exhibit the empty gallery echoed with every step. Mrs. Dodds stopped in front of the statue, growling she said, "You thought you could foul us Percy Jackson."

"I'm sorry madam, but I have no clue what you're talking about." Percy cautiously said, hoping they did not find out about the candy or the book report.

"Times up honey!" Mrs. Dodds hissed in fury and began to transform. Her jacket turned into leather wings, she grew claws and fangs.

"I guess your face couldn't get any uglier." Percy said in a pure unfiltered mouth moment.

Mrs. Dodds gave a yell of fury and charged at Percy. Claws slashed at the air disturbing his hair and scratching his ear. Percy felt warm blood trickle from the scratch, adrenalin rushed through his veins. Percy dodged her talons again, pure fear fueling his quick movements.

'_Someone…' _He dodged again, the claws getting closer. _'Someone help me…please, find me, help me.'_

As Mrs. Dodds slashed again and this time she caught his shirt, ripping it to shreds. As tattered strips fell from his frame, Percy felt blood pooling and dripping down his chest and stomach.

"DIE!" Mrs. Dodds screeched and went for the final cut. Percy's green eyes widened and he threw up his arms to defend his face.

'_I'm going to die.' _A numb feeling over took Percy his one source of warmth dripping out of him. Its warmth now on the outside turning cold, something inside Percy snapped. _'No I will not die today!'_

Dark black stone erupted from the floor deflecting Mrs. Dodds attack. Percy felt all the remaining energy he had drained away from him and he collapsed next to the stone. A shadow fell upon him; Percy looked up to see Mrs. Dodds looking down on him.

'_Well so much for not dieing today.' _

Mrs. Dodds's eyes meet Percy's as she knelt down, Percy watery eyes squeezed shut tears tracking down his cheeks. Mrs. Dodds felt something she had not felt in decade's sympathy for a demigod, but knowing he was a child of the underworld and those sea green eyes just pulled at the heartstrings.

"Calm yourself Percy, I will not hurt you."

Percy curios opened one of his eyes to see his regular teacher kneeling beside him.

"How do I know to trust you?"

"You don't but the fact I have not killed you, should be an indicator that I no longer wish you harm."

Percy relented, he would have thought of this farther if he were not so very tired.

"I can tell you all about our world; you will not go into this unprepared."

Percy nodded and got up with a willpower he did not know he had. Mrs. Dodds snapped her fingers and the black stone turned into a statue of Hades. Percy blinked at the statue it looked familiar in a strange way as if he would be safe as long as he was around.

Mrs. Dodds handed him a square of something warm into his hand. Percy looked at it in confusion; it looked like a gold brownie.

"It's ambrosia; it will heal your wounds and restore your energy. You can't have that much so only one bite or else your burst into flames."

Percy nodded and took a bite; it tasted like chocolate but melted like butter. Percy swallowed and felt his wounds close up, his energy restored he felt like he could do anything. With incredible will power, he handed Mrs. Dodds the ambrosia square, she nodded her head in approval.

Wrapping an arm around Percy she lead him to the gift shop, there they bought two shirts one for Percy the other for Nancy. As they walked outside Grover ran over to them.

"Stupid satyr." Mrs. Dodds muttered as she walked away from Percy, going to hand Nancy her shirt.

"Percy, I'm glade your alright!" Grover cried taking a step closer to Percy.

Percy smiled and caught Mrs. Dodds eye, "Yeah, I'm fine just had to get a replacement shirt."

"Why?"

"Mine was old and had a couple of tears in it."

Percy noticed Grover had a black eye, the purple coloring mixing with a sick yellow.

"What happened to your eye?"

"Nancy got mad, she and her goons tried to beat me up. However I was too much for them!"

Mrs. Dodds frowned as the sight of Percy interacting with the satyr. The satyr looked distracted and she knew it was because of Percy not being dead or at least injured. The ones from camp were already unsure about Percy being a demigod; he attracted no monsters of course that was because of her. Not even monsters wanted to deal with Hades's tormenters. There is hope in Percy's eyes and she knew that no good satyr would hurt him. When that began and after that happened, she would make his life Tartarus.

Tell me what you think! Show of hands who would overdose on ambrosia?


	2. chapter 2

_**Son of the underworld chapter 2**_

Ncalkins dose not own Percy Jackson, ooc, AU, no beta

If Percy thought some of his relations with people would be different, he was wrong. Grover was distant now more then ever; he did not even stalk him anymore. Even Mr. Brunner did not show as much interest in him as before. Almost as if he had failed some test that pushed the two people, he had so much hope for away. The voice was not very happy that they abandoned him, it muttered about their betrayal and at times -freaking Percy out- talking about making them pay.

The fatherly voice encouraged Percy to hang around Mrs. Dodds, which was fine by Percy. She told him all these great stories about the Greek gods, which (if she was to be believed) he was related to one of them. Despite the fondness, he felt for her and monster like form she took back in the museum…he could not help but feel a bit skeptical of him being of relation to a Greek God.

If being shunned practically completely was not enough, the weather took a turn for the worst. Thunder boomed from outside, winds raged and all the while, the deep voice in his head tried to calm him as best it could. Percy was terrified of the raging weather outside it was unpredictable. So that made him grouchy, he grades that he had finally (with Mrs. Dodds help) pulled up to high C's low B's were slipping back to D's and F's.

Finally, after being insulted by a rude teacher, he snapped said something he should not have then, he was told would not be returning to Yancy. This was fine with him, as if anyone would miss him. Though he was a little sad about leaving Mrs. Dodds, when exams came, Percy studied diligently with math. He felt like he did all right with it and to his surprise when Mr. Burner graded his Latin test he had done well. Of course, it could have been the voice in his head doing commentary for every question.

(1. Why did Kronos eat he children? _"Because he was an awful father and even worse ruler. Take note Percy eating your children is bad parenting, and it's really gross." _24. Who ferries the souls to the underworld. _"That would be Charon, Percy. C-H-A-R-O-N, no Percy that's a k."_)

When it was time for Percy to go home, no one said good-bye. Well, not true Grover did say he was going to a summer camp with Mr. Burner and told him to take care. Percy nodded and prepared to ride the Grey Bus alone, imagine his surprise when Mrs. Dodds sits next to him.

"I've watched over you for a year now, do you honestly think I would abandon you now?"

Percy smiled such a sweet smile it made Mrs. Dodds heartache, this poor boy truly believed he would never be accepted by anyone other then his mother. They spent their time talking about the gods and what they currently did. Then the talk turned to Grover and Mr. Burner, a Percy wanted to know what camp they were talking about.

Mrs. Dodds cursed and said, "Those fools probably think you have a demigod friend, when you didn't returned hurt. They probably went off looking for another demigod, not caring that they might have condemned a child to death." She huffed and snapped open her purse. She pulled out a card and handed it to Percy saying, "The place they went to is Camp Half Blood, a safe place for demigods."

Percy took the card and studied the cursive handwriting, his nose scrunched up in concentration and green eyes squinted. Mrs. Dodds wanted to help him, but know that Percy would want to do it himself.

Just as Percy made out the phone number, a rotting smell filled the bus. Smoke came form the floorboards and the bus driver made everyone get off. As Mrs. Dodds and Percy stood next, each other eyeing the fruit stand across the road, Percy noticed Mrs. Dodds had an uneasy expression on her face. Percy began to follow her line of sight, when Mrs. Dodds clamped a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't look." She whispered terror shining deep within her eyes. Percy turned his head back forward when the voice in his head boomed, _"DON'T' LOOK! ALECTO GET HIM OUT OF THERE!" _the voice was so loud Percy was sure everyone could hear it.

It certainly seemed like Mrs. Dodds did, she scooped Percy into her arms carrying him like a young child. Percy lifted him head getting a glimpse of three old ladies knitting across the road when Mrs. Dodds pushed his head into her shoulder. Even with Mrs. Dodds using herself as a shield and shoving herself and Percy into the bus. Percy still heard a cold snip, the bus rumbled under Mrs. Dodds feet and she made her way to their seat.

The other passengers made their way onto the bus and their seats, Percy began to shake from invisible winter fingers that scratched at his insides and caressed his outside.

"M-Mrs. D-D-Dodds-s-s" Percy forced out as he shook feeling unreasonable and unexpected fear take hold of him. He wanted to ask what that was but he could not force out the words.

"It's okay Percy; everything is going to be okay." Mrs. Dodds said smoothing Percy's hair back. Percy felt his eyes grow heavy as the comforting strained voice sounded in his head.

"_Sleep emerald eyes."_

Please Review this story! Do not be made, I am at the last year of high school. Applying for scholarships, taking pre-college courses in high school and each time I get a day off most I want to do is get my homework done and read some fanfic. I will not abandon any of my stories, or at least I do not plane too. I have a pull on my profile for you guys to use, it has to decide what story I should update next, the whole updating in order does not seem to be working. So please help and be patient with me.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Son of the underworld chapter 3**_

Ncalkins dose not own Percy Jackson, ooc, AU, no beta

Mrs. Dodds gave Percy his money and sent him on his way in a taxi. Percy was sad to see her leave and the voice wasn't too happy either, _"Next time I see her, she's getting an earful. Abandoning my Percy in New York." _It continued along that line the rest of the ride, which was okay with Percy he didn't feel as lonely with the voice talking to him. Even if it was just part of his imagination. _"I am not; I have half a mind to place you over my knee young man!"_

Percy snorted as his mom's apartment came into view; he paid the driver and made his way to the front door. Suddenly wary he pressed his ear to the door; he could hear the TV and…Gabe's poker buddies. _"Oh great the walrus and its kin."_

Percy wondered if he should walk down to Sweet on America, his mom worked there so it's no like he would be kicked out. Just as he was about to turn around the voice piped up **again**_ 'As much as I loath to admit it you're probably safer here then walking to the shop. Well that and I don't think your mother could handle you on a sugar high….__**again.**__'_

'_That was only one time.'_ Percy thought back turning once more to his apartment door.

"Got any money." Gabe grunted as soon as Percy walked into the door.

'_Hello to you too.' _Percy thought as he answered making his way through the cluttered living room. It never got really nasty but it did get crowded. "I don't have any."

Gabe raised an eyebrow and said, "You took the bus and a taxi to get here. You have left over money."

"Common Gabe, he's just a kid." One of the walrus's friends said what was his name again?

"He's just a kid." Gabe mocked, "Either shut up or get out Eddie, but leave your money once it's on the table it's not your anymore it's fair game."

'_Well, at least one of them has manners or at least a sense of decency.' _The voice spoke up as Percy said, "I don't have any money!" The left over dollar bills felt heavy in his pocket, he wanted to buy a gift for his mom for her birthday soon and the only way would be to squirrel away money.

"Oh really empty out your pockets." Gabe challenged a greedy glint in his eyes.

Percy turned his pockets inside out and wasn't surprised that the money was gone. See the money had a habit of disappearing into his money jar each time Gabe asked for it. So far Gabe hasn't found his stash, Percy had a pretty good chunk of change but he wanted more so he could buy his mom that pretty blood red dress.

"Get out of here brain boy." Gabe grumbled as he turned back to his game.

'_How is he still employed?' __'I don't know but how dose the punishment sound? Gabe boiling in liquid silver or bronze for the rest of eternity for his greed?'_

Percy shook his head as he opened his door he scolded the voice, _'That's not nice.'_

'_Who said I was nice? No really I can count on one hand how many people said I was nice.'_

Percy huffed a laugh but groaned as he saw the mess Gabe made. His room turned into Gabe's personal study, that means it had muddy foot prints everywhere and useless things he didn't even use. He just claimed this room to piss off Percy, they've had it out for each other ever since they met.

Percy sat down on his bed which had to be cleaned and soon, there was no way he was sleeping in a Gabe infested room. In fact his whole room would have to be sterilized and if he could get away with it (he wouldn't) he'd burn this apartment down, then move his mom and him (no Gabe) into a new better one.

Against his will Percy's thoughts turned to what Mrs. Dodds had told him about myths being real. His thoughts strayed to all the monsters she spoke of as if they were real. The Minotaur gouging people to death filled his head, the half human beast turned into Harpies that pecked at people until they bled. Then he started coming up with his own monsters, long poisons fangs and sharp claws. Stomping their way up to his room, knocking down the door and ripping him to shreds as he screamed helplessly.

"Percy?" His mom's voice sounded behind him. Percy spun around and exclaimed; "Mom!"

Percy rushed forward his sea green eyes lighting up to hug the brown haired with grey streaked woman, her eyes warmed; sea green just like her son stared lovingly down at her baby.

They went though their normal routine of Sally asking how school went and Percy responding in kind though he did put up a little fuss just for the heck of it. The only thing Percy didn't tell her was Mrs. Dodds transportation and his suppose heritage, it sounded crazy besides there was no reason for him to worry her.

"Percy," Sally began in a excided whisper hoping to control all of his attention. "How would you like to go to the hotel?"

Percy's eyes widened in excitement, the Hotel where his parents met. It was his favorite place to go, though they didn't go often and not at all the last couple of years. Gabe had said there was no money so their trips were canceled until now.

See before Percy was born, before Sally met Gabe she was struggling through life. She had lost her parents at a young age, lived with her uncle that was sick most of the time, then when she was going to start college to become a writer her uncle died leaving her with no money, no degree and no job.

Sally decided to get away for awhile with the mission of starting her book. On her way to Montauk she passed a hotel called Anima which was pretty expensive hotel to her back in the day. Sally set up camp next to the sea for two days. However, the sea did not provide any inspiration so Sally left.

As she drove by the hotel she noticed a graveyard right next to it. As she gazed at the fog cover ground and headstones poking out like fingers. The skeletal trees with claw like hands reaching down, and the side of the hotel loaming over it all a grave witness to unimaginable horrors. A thought spun a web like a spider in her head, a story of betrayal, love, murder and insanity.

Sally parked her car on the side of the road and made her way to the graveyard, she sat among the dead whispering apologies as she found her place. She wrote her book all day, she had finished the first five chapters when noon came around along with a shadow. Sally looked up to a man with shoulder lengthen black that was tied back from his elegant face, black eyes stared down at her with curiosity. Sally said hello, the man asked in a voice that shimmered with authority and power what was she doing?

The rest as they say is history.

Sally smiled and nodded, "We can start packing as soon as I changed."

"Sally! Make me some bean dip!"

Percy frowned and he felt displeased with Gabe ruining this moment. Part of him waited for the voice to speak up, when it didn't it came to no surprise. For some reason the voice never spoke when his mother was near. Sally said his guardian must be shy.

"What about Gabe?" Percy asked feeling a twinge in his chest, Gabe always ruined everything. He just wanted the man to disappear.

"Sally!"

"Don't worry about him." Sally said with a confident tone, she new how to take care of him.

Gabe appeared in the doorway red in the face. "Sally, my bean dip!" He waved a bowl in the air glaring at the two people sitting on the bed.

"I'm sorry Gabe, we were just discussing our planes." Sally said standing up and making her way toward Gabe.

"Your planes?" Gabe narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Sally smiled as she took the plastic bowl from him. "Yes, the ones I told you about."

"You were serious about that." Gabe growled not liking the thought of losing his doormat or his money.

"Yes, I was serious. If you let us go, I'll make my special dip. Whip cream, guacamole, diced tomatoes, beans…The works."

'_She's actually bribing him with food…Well actually I can see that, mom's a really good cook.' _Percy though to himself and felt his stomach rumble, hey he's a growing boy.

Gabe's eyes softened lightly. "This is coming out of your clothes budget right?"

Sally nodded happily and made her way to the kitchen, Gabe followed her and Percy was surprised Gabe didn't try to mess with him.

'_He didn't have a reason too.' __'Yeah, but that never stopped him before.' _

Percy smiled and shook his head, he didn't bother to unpack they would be leaving soon anyway. Percy laid down on his bed, the only place with out shoe prints on it and relaxed. Not hearing the voice put him on edge, think of that drew his mind to the monsters he was thinking of when he mom walked in. _'I really need this vacation' __'It might not be much of one, just enjoy what you can.' _

The voice sounded grave as if it was expecting the worst to happen, Percy frowned but shrugged it off he could be pessimistic at times.

Review.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Son of the underworld chapter 4**_

Ncalkins dose not own Percy Jackson, ooc, AU,

Percy helped load the car, listening to Gabe complain about losing his moms' cooking and the car. The voice had not spoken up since the warning, which worried Percy a bit but he figured it was all right. As Percy lifted the last grey suitcase into the trunk and forced it closed Gabe said, "No one scratch on this car or you'll pay."

'_Oh yes, I a twelve year old boy will be driving a car older then time itself. Someone try to stop me.' _Percy thought sarcastically rolling dark green eyes.

As Gabe turned around pulling up his sagging pants and covering the blinding view of his dirty underwear, Percy first flipped him off and then made the sign that Mrs. Dodds taught him to ward of evil (cause if anything was evil here it was Gabe). He placed his hand over his heart and made a claw, then pushed it away from his chest. Gabe shot through the door as if he shot out of a cannon.

"Gabe what happened?" Sally asked in a false caring tone as she opened the door, showing Percy the sight of Gabe laying face down on the ground with shadows sticking him to the ground like glue.

A muffled sound came from Gabe, Sally smirked as she looked at her nails. She then stepped over Gabe and cooed, "I'm sorry honey, but I can't hear you."

Percy shared a smile with his mom as she came closer; they silently gave each other a high five. They quickly got into the car and sped off to the hotel of loving memories.

Sally parked the car in front of the slightly run down hotel. It would have been beautiful in its prime, but money was tight for most people now days and not enough costumers came to keep the place in good condition.

They both got out, Sally gathered the luggage as Percy studied the hotel where his mom met his dad and were he was conceived. It was made of red brick towers were at every corner and the bricks of the top of the roof where positioned to look like the top of a castle. Windows gave no sign of what was inside only reflecting the road and what little trees that grew across the road, it was strange it seemed like everything around the hotel was dead as if the hotel was a vampire sucking the life out of all things around it.

Sally touched Percy's shoulder making him jump; she nodded her head toward the hotel and moved forward dragging her wheeled suitcase behind her. Percy followed dragging his own suitcase. As they got closer to the hotel Percy took in some details of the hotel and its surroundings. The door was wood, bloated from rain and carved by nails of animals and by hoodlums. The grass was brown all around the hotel, dead trees reached down toward all who came near; flowers planted under windows were wilted and dying.

'_No wonder this place is going down hill.' _Percy thought, but then he saw something strange.

Closed flowers were all around, the only ones that were staring to bloom was these small randomly placed hedges with flowers of red, yellow, pink, blue and white they were in front and at the side of the hotel covering graves. Percy stopped and knelt down to take a look at the nearest bunch. They were vibrate purple that got darker in the middle with five petals surrounding what looked like white feelers that poked out of the darkest part of the flower.

Sally turned around from the door, noticing that her son was no longer following her. He was kneeling next to a small flower bush, with a fond smile she walked over leaving her suitcase next to the door. She tapped him on the shoulder making him jump.

"Come on. Don't you want to get inside?" She teased him. Percy gave a small smile and stood up with a curious look in his eyes.

"Mom, I don't understand. Why are all these plants dead but a small few flowers alive?" He asked as he followed her.

"I'll tell you when we're in our room." She said opening the door of the hotel.

Inside the walls were any earthy brown, with wooden floors leading all around the first floor and up the stairs. A velvet red carpet draped over the stairs, lamps stood on wood tables with white shades, and lamps stuck to the walls leading up the stairs with white shades as well.

Sally walked up to a bone white front desk and rang the bell, an elderly woman with grey eyes stepped out of the back room behind the desk.

"Well if my eyes do deceive me. You're that young girl, the one who had that fling with that rich older gentleman." She said in a soft voice pushing up her nose half-circular glasses. Sally blushed and opened her mouth to comment when the older women interrupted her.

"That man still sends money to keep this hotel open, I would fix the outside but every time I plant new grass or my own flowers they wither and die. I would also fix the outside but it goes with the decor and most people believe this is a ghost hotel so they come anyway." She gave a wheezing laugh and handed Sally the key. "The room is on the house, dear."

Her wrinkled liver spotted hand closed Sally's youthful fingers enclosing the key within her soft palm. Sally wanted to protest but the women turned away with a sigh, "Oh to be young again."

Sally smiled and turned to Percy, dark sea green eyes looking like little gems gleaming with surprise and joy.

"Come on honey, let's go to our room."

They both grabbed their suitcases and trekked up the stairs; they passed dark oak wooden doors with golden numbers and handles on each one.

"Here we are." Sally opened a door with the number 401 on it. She opened the door and led Percy into a smoky gray painted room with a plush sky blue carpet.

Two white queen sized beds were in the room, canopy screened around the white beds with bronze polls holding it up. The headrest was twisting bronze and silver metals with no real pattern just weaving in and out of each other.

Sally went to the one nearest the window, so Percy took the one closes to the bathroom. As Percy placed his suitcase at the foot of his bed, Sally raised the curtains and tied them up to let what little sunlight that was left in. Percy sat down and said, "Mom isn't there something you wanted to tell me?"

Sally turned and felt her heart freeze Percy's eyes were drilling into her just like his father's would compelling her to tell them everything. As if Percy was the parent and she was the teenager. Sally shook her head and walked over to Percy; she sat next to him and began to talk.

"As you know this is were your father and I met." Percy nodded, green eyes flashing with excitement to hear more about his father. "Apparently he keeps money flowing into this place, why I don't know."

"Maybe, to keep good memories alive because he lives forever he wants to be able to visit someplace where there are good memories for him." Percy suggested resting his head in his hand.

Sally nodded her head in agreement and shrugged as a sign that they would never know. "Well, during our stay your father had flowers that only bloom at night planted here."

"Really what kind did you guys plant?"

Sally smiled and grabbed Percy's hand she stood up her frame outlined by the fast turning dark sky. "I'll show you, after dinner."

They went down to the dinning hall a white room with circler wooden tables. Four brass chairs with velvet red cushions surrounded each table. There was eight tables in the room, each evenly spaced. Each table had a candleholder, with three burning white candles in them. Three chandlers hanged from the ceiling, a CD player was by the wall and Percy realized that the way the tables were all evenly spaced, they were in a square. It seemed like there was a dance floor in the middle. On the other side of the room away from the door they can through was a wall completely covered with velvet red drapes.

The old women from the counter came in with a large platter of food in both of her shaky hands. "The dish in my hand contains Anima's specialty dish. A hollow loaf of freshly baked bread for each of you."

Percy gave his mom a weird look and she smiled mouthing, "Tell you later."

The old women noticing the look explained for Sally. "There's a superstition of finding a hole in a cut piece of bread. The hole represents a coffin and it means that someone close to the cutter will die. We also have a puffer fish, don't worry I'm license to serve this. There are cherries and pomegranates, don't eat the pits of the cherries their poisonous. Frog legs from the poisonous Namibian Bullfrog, don't worry the legs aren't deadly just everything else on the frog is!"

She gave a wheezing laugh and continued telling them more of the supreme platter. "

"Some garlic potatoes with cooked onions and mushrooms mixed in. Here we are the deadliest food this side of the graveyard!" Shaky hand lowered the platter down on the table; Percy had sudden doubts of eating the puffer fish.

The platter was a single object with bowls scooped out of the main matter. Therefore, it looked a painting palette.

"Thank you." Sally said Percy just nodded looking at the food with an unsure look.

"Your welcome dear." The old women said. "I hope you enjoy the Fatal Feast." Percy gave a startled looked at that name of the Anima's specialty dish. "By the way dears I'll be back with some coats for the ball."

"Ball?" Percy asked as his mom reached for a little of everything, he felt the need to slap her hand. "Mom, I don't think you should be eating those." He said nervously.

Sally looked up her eyes filled with good humor. "I wouldn't worry about the food sweetie. All of it is poisonous if not treated right; Mrs. Isis is a world class cook even in her old age."

Percy blinked and said deadpanned, "Isis, the Greek Goddess of Rainbows, and the Egyptian Goddess of Magic and Life. That's the name of a woman that runs a Hotel that means soul in Latin and who serves potentially poisonous food."

He reached for some food and they began eating, Sally in between bits told Percy.

"Yep and that's not even half of it. Your dad told me that this hotel not only caters to the living but to the dead as well."

"The dead?" Percy questioned as he poked his fork into the puffer fish it wasn't half-bad.

"Your father told me that Mrs. Isis can see the dead, she can also open a portal to the underworld. To let people cross over, it really pisses Charon off. Which is funny because apparently he use to think she was cute."

Mrs. Isis walked up holding coats and handed one to each, she couldn't help but to respond, "Use to? Honey he still comes around in his nice suits with a bunch of flowers and chocolates."

She walked away, Sally put on her coat and Percy followed her example.

"Isn't Charon the skeleton?"

Sally looked at Percy amused and nodded once, Percy shuttered at the thought.

"So what's with this ball?" Percy asked feeling the fake fur within his coat.

"The dead from the cemetery and those traveling spirits gather here for some joy. They reunite with friends and loved ones that travel as well; they also sometimes take the chance to get the expressway into their afterlife." Sally spoke taking a sip of her cranberry juice that was red as blood.

"What do you mean their afterlife?" Percy asked as the lights dimmed, Mrs. Isis pulled a sting and those red curtains parted like a show, giving a wonderful view of the strange mix of life and death that waited outside. A full moon bathed everything in silver and even the room they were in was being caressed gently by the moon's light.

Percy breathed out and rubbed his arms, his breath fogged in the air in front of him. White mist that quickly dissolved in the air, but that mist was nothing compared to the mist taking form on the dance floor.

They started out as a white mist, then took the form of humans both men and women. They were from all types of eras; from old to now all types of clothing was to be seen. The clothes went from pearly white to washed out color.

"Mom, are you seeing this?" Percy asked his hands rested on the table as his eyes stayed glued to the spirits that glided pass spinning and dipping. His eyes glanced to spirits doing a foxtrot, salsa and so many more different dances.

Sally smiled and rested one of her hands on Percy's her warmth seize his eyes. Sally was smiling but her eyes were sad and weary. She looked older as she said, "I can't see what you do right now, however your dad did show me once and that was enough for this mixed beauty to stay with me for life."

Percy hummed as a woman in a big puffy dress spun in front of him with a man in a red coat jacket, like an English soldier from the Revolutionary war. At a table two men from both sides of the Civil war were arm wrestling, they looked like they were related. There were also people who looked like they lived outside of America. Samurais stood guard at walls, geishas walked around smiling silently, princesses from all types of places talked to each other in different corners.

Percy blinked hard as a flash of almost white blue light flash from the corner of his eye. He looked over his mom was snaking at some cherries and looking toward the garden. Behind her was what held Percy's attention however Mrs. Isis was opening what looked like a door filled with a mixture of smoke and clouds, spirits were walking through. Sally looked up and noticed Percy was looking at something behind her. She turned and saw Mrs. Isis waving good-bye to someone or well to her it looked like she was waving to a wall. Sally turned to Percy and said, "I'm guessing she is passing on spirits?"

Percy nodded his mouth hanging open, he never seen anything like this and Mrs. Dodds never spoke of such a thing.

Sally smiled and squeezed Percy's hand to get his attention. Dark green eyes met bright sea green eyes. "Why don't we go into that garden?"

Percy snapped his mouth closed, "Sure."

They got up and Sally led Percy out of the building and into the light of the full moon. Percy gasped and his eyes widened flowers were fully bloomed and shining under the moon. A koi pond reflected the moon as fish swam under the surface, sleeping.

"Your father asked for all there plants to be place here for me as a reminder." Sally said from behind Percy as he walked around getting closer looks at the plants.

Percy kneeled down next to a plant that came to his knees and fingered the white petal of a flower that opened like an umbrella. White bulbs grew out of the green middle and though it looked like it only had one full petal, Percy could see ridges that ran to the middle making the pizza effect.

"That's a Moon Flower." Sally said walking behind Percy, she placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled at the marvel on his face. "They grow up to fifteen feet and come in white or pink. There are some pink ones over there."

She pointed to her left and Percy looked over the pink ones, but he stayed by the white moonflowers. Sally continued informing Percy about the Moon Flower.

"The Moon Flower is called that because the bloom in the moonlight and they close their petals when the sun touches their petals."

Percy stood up and walked away from the Moon Flower, Sally's hands slipped off his shoulders. Percy spotted a new flower and went toward it asking, "Why do these flowers grow everything else here dies? What's this flower called?"

The flower Percy was looking at was yellow and about two inches big. The stamen was yellow with a little bit of green from the stem mixed in; it was shaped like a spider. The petals connected and looked like hearts that touched on the sides, a green star rested in the middle of the flower the start of its steam.

"That flower is called Evening Primrose. It like all of the other flowers here blooms at night. This flower is famous for its medical uses, the seed, the seed oil, the petals and the roots are used for medicines." Sally said as Percy once again got up and walked around looking for a new flower.

"The reason all of the flowers and plants die is because of the souls. It takes a lot of energy to travel from one place to another, even more when they cross over with the help of Mrs. Isis."

Percy crouched down and rubbed the diamond shaped petal of a creamy yellow flower. It had some brown lines that crept form the center of the flower to the tip of each petal. The brown lines started out strong, but grew smaller as it grew closer to the tip. Like the shadow of a man when the sun is right in front of him, it starts out small then grows big.

"Why do the ghost drain energy and what dose Mrs. Isis have to do with it." He asked as he studied the flower in front of him, it's spicy scent tickled his nose making him scrunch his nose.

"Mrs. Isis told me once when your dad was out, the ghost need energy to move from place to place. The use the energy from the living, electricity and even energy that was left over from living things that had lived or passed the point the spirit is at. As the spirit grows older it can store energy and sometimes can use less because with it's age comes more control over what the spirit can do. Mrs. Isis when she opens a doorway to the afterlife she uses her own energy or the energy of friendly spirits that may or may not be on the other side."

Percy hummed, he took a deep breath of the spicy perfume the flower was letting out and breathed out. "Interesting." He sighed out, letting the spicy taste in the air dance on his tongue.

"Don't eat that, it's poisonous." Sally said offhandedly, Percy jerked back and turned wide green eyes toward his mother.

"WHAT?!"

"That flower is called a Night Gladiolus. Gladiolus mean sword so it's called Night Sword." Percy sent her a disbelieving look. "What, your dad thought they were romantic."

Percy turned to look at the brown patch of grass, got on his hands and knees then started hitting the ground with one of his hand.

"Poisonous flowers are not romantic!"

Sally snorted into her hand and laughed as Percy bounced up and ran to another plant.

Sally followed and saw the new plant that had caught Percy's attention. It was white with six large petals, those petals were arranged to look like a star around red stamen that reached out of the flower like tiny fingers out of a flowing white sleeve.

"That's a Casablanca Lily their used in perfumes and weddings. There's more around here in different colors yellow, orange, purple and pink."

Sally looked over at the koi pond and smiled, "Percy come with me I have something I would like to show you."

Percy looked up from where he was smelling the Casablanca Lily (A/N: I love that, Casablanca) and nodded, he followed his mother to the pond. She pointed to the flowers that were floating on lily pads.

The flower Percy was looking at was ten inches in size and had twenty petals, it was a crimson red that glowed angrily under the moon light. Percy looked at the other flowers they ranged from seven inches too ten and had nineteen to twenty petals. There were all in different colors along with the crimson red Percy saw a blushing pink and a royal purple.

With every breath Percy took his could smell a faint but persistent aroma that wafted from the flowers that rested gently on the black waters.

"Those are Night Bloom Water Lilies." Sally smiled as Percy's eyes turned a deep emerald and sparkled under the moonlight, suddenly Percy turned to Sally and said.

"You still haven't told me how do these flowers stay alive. Why are some effected by the ghost and others are not?"

Sally took at deep breath and wiped her suddenly sweaty hand on her jeans, she new Percy hadn't taken the news of his father well and this news probably wouldn't be any easier to swallow. He still didn't fully except it even after seeing a Fury!

"It all started when I was entering my final trimester. Persephone visited me with the thought of turning us into a flower…"

_**Flashback**_

Sally was in her kitchen making herself some mint tea to help with her gas, her big stomach was somewhat getting in the way but not too bad. Once she had her drink in a blue cup she sat down at her table and began to sip her tea. Her eyes closed in bliss, they began to slide open, only to fly open in shock. There on the other side of her table was a woman with soil black hair. Her eyes were a beautiful green like fresh grass and the dress she had on shimmered with different colors. Her skin was tan and gave off the warmth of a summer day.

"Hello." That one word held so much power that Sally knew she was talking to a goddess, that and Sally had all the doors and windows locked. From the tiny white flowers in her hair Sally had a feeling she new which one. "I am Persephone."

Sally paled, Persephone the wife of Hades the father of her son this could not end well. "Would you like some tea?"

Persephone looked at her with cold eyes and said in a voice the echoed the winters the earth went through when she left, "No thank you, I think you would look lovely as a worm so I can crush you under my foot!"

"W-wait," Sally began but stopped a gleam came into her eyes. According to legend Persephone had no children and according to Chiron no demigod children. "The baby's kicking would you like to feel."

Persephone looked interested she never really felt the kicking of a baby, being one of the youngest caused you to miss out on births, the fact that she spent most of her time in the underworld and the fact the goddesses the get pregnant tend to hide away until the baby is safely delivered. She always wondered what it would be like to have a child, but the thought of have a child and making it chose between Hades or her or worse make it move all the time stilled her had in ever having a baby.

She got up and walked around the table as Persephone kneeled down before Sally and lifted her hand, Sally felt a flash of nervousness she could be making it easier for Persephone to hurt her child. As a warm hand touched her stomach and Persephone felt the kicks a glow of wonder over took her, Sally felt her worries leave her. Persephone would do nothing to the child with in her.

"Would you like to be in this child's life?"

Green eyes looked up and Persephone stood in a hurry, she demanded. "How? There are laws that we can not visit demigod children."

"Only if they are your own children and they say you can't help them either but does that stop anyone?" Persephone started to get a dangerous look on her face the memory of why she came was rushing back so Sally hurried up. "How would you like to be the godmother?!"

Persephone stilled, her face cleared of dark clouds, "What?"

"The godmother, basically you look after Percy when I can't. Hades might not be able to do a lot but you can! You can be in his life the way no other immortal can, it will be as if he's your….nephew."

Persephone looked interested and finally nodded, if she could not have a baby of her own she would take on a maternal roll in this ones life. "What sex is the child?"

Sally smiled, "It's a boy, his name is going to be Perseus but I'm having trouble coming up with a middle name. Do you have any ideas?"

Persephone looked thoughtful and said, "I was always fond of the hero Hercules."

Sally got a tender look on her face. "Perseus Hercules Jackson. I like it. So what's your decision?"

Persephone gave her a considering look. "Hades planted flowers in your name at the hotel Anima correct?"

Sally nodded, watching the Goddess carefully.

"Go there after this child is born if those flowers are back to live, they died with in a week of your leaving. You shall have my answer."

_**End Flashback**_

Sally waver her hand to the flowers all around them.

"There's your answer."

Percy's jaw dropped, "My godmother is the goddess of spring time?!"

"Well, if she wasn't she'd be your step-mother anyways so what's the big deal?" Sally asked dryly.

Percy didn't know how to respond to that. He shook his head and looked at the pond in a small voice he asked, "Can I be alone of a little while?"

"Sure." Sally said and went back inside ready for bed.

Percy stood there staring at the water, his gaze would flit to the flowers every five minutes until he breathed out. He turned his eyes to a Crimson Water Lily nearest to him and spoke.

"Thanks, for being my godmother and watching over me." He felt a warm breeze but other then that nothing happened.

"Man, that felt stupid." Percy sighed putting his hands into his pants pockets.

He turned away and began to walk toward the hotel. A screech of a owl made him stop short, he turned and saw a owl leave it's home within a tree. It seemed panicked screeching over and over again as it flew away. The reason for it's panic soon became clear.

"Percy!" Something screamed as it fell from the sky.

It was bleeding from a shoulder wound and from several cuts on it's body, one of the things wings were torn and that was the cause for it's falling from the sky but those things weren't what shocked Percy the most.

"Mrs. Dodds?!"

Review

Whoop! 4,599 words! Sorry it took so long, in college.

10-lovely-flowers-which-bloom-only-at-night- google it


	5. Chapter 5

**_Son of the underworld chapter 5_**

Ncalkins does not own Percy Jackson, ooc, AU, beta'ed by tissue729 :)

"Percy!" Mrs. Dodds gasped as she scrambled to her feet ignoring the pain.

Percy rushed forward and gently touched Mrs. Dodds arm, his dark green eyes filling with concern while rolling over Mrs. Dodds form.

"You have to get out!" Mrs. Dodds looked over her shoulder in fear as if something was going to come charging out of the woods.

"What?"

"GO!" Mrs. Dodds shouted as a bellow broke the quiet night; she then pushed Percy toward the hotel. "Get your mother and get to camp. You'll be safe there!"

Percy grabbed Mrs. Dodds hand and tugged her along, ignoring the way she stumbled at first. Mrs. Dodds soon kept pace and the two busted into the hotel where Sally was talking to Iris.

"MOM! MOM WE HAVE TO GO!"

Sally glanced at the two and immediately understood and then glanced at Iris. Iris waved her off and said, "If you must go, go."

Sally nodded her head with thanks and then turned to Percy. "Get in the car."

She made for the front door as Percy asked, "What about our stuff?"

"It's fine. I'll get it later." Sally called back as she opened the door; the sweet scent of flowers surrounding them as they rushed to the car.

Mrs. Dodds opened the passenger door, Sally opened the driver's side while Percy climbed into the back. In no time, Sally tore down the road quickly. In the meantime, Percy heard a bellow behind them and looked. He saw a great lumbering figure sniffing the air as it came out of the forest, moving very strangely. It was as if that figure was struggling to go after them! Sally turned by an abrupt corner in the road and the figure disappeared from view.

"What was that?" Percy asked, turning towards the front again.

Sally kept her foot on the gas pedal, her sea green eyes glancing at the gas tank, feeling uneasy. Mrs. Dodds seeing Sally not replying, answered him.

"It's the Minotaur."

"WHAT!?" Sally screeched as she pressed the gas pedal down to the floor.

"It's the Minotaur." Mrs. Dodds repeated, a slight smile on her face. Seeing such a usually calm woman freak out was slightly funny, even if they were in a dangerous situation.

"I thought you said we shouldn't say their name?" Percy said looking out the window in curiosity. Even if he wanted to stay far away from the monster he still wanted to get a glance of it.

"Demigods shouldn't, but monsters like me can say their name with no problem."

"That's not fair."

"Well-" Mrs. Dodds began only to be interrupted by Sally. "Please!" Her stressed out voice filled that car. "Please, just tell me why he has the Minotaur after him!"

Mrs. Dodds formed her words carefully as she glanced at the ceiling. "Percy's godly parent has kept their identity a secret just in case they have enemies. They did not want those enemies going after him so it was not sent by anyone. Percy just has some really bad luck."

Sally and Percy groaned in unison saying, "Tell me about it."

Mrs. Dodds laughed lightly and said, "On the bright side, I believe we lost him and the camp is just up that hill all you have to do is drive up it."

The car slowed and stopped, Sally checked the gas gage and found it was empty. She groaned and got out of the car; Percy and Mrs. Dodds followed her. They began to walk up the hill and were half-way there when Mrs. Dodds panted "it's not that bad."

Then they heard something that felt like ice in their bones- a bellow. Percy glanced behind him down at the car and saw the Minotaur was sniffing around the car. He (or at least Percy assumed it was a he) was seven feet tall and was more buff than the guy on the cover of last week's Muscle Man. He wore no clothes except a bright Fruit of the Looms underwear. At least the "loin cloth" was white. Coarse brown hair started at his belly button and grew thicker and thicker as it reached his shoulders.

"Worst luck ever," Percy groaned and picked up the pace, so did Sally and Mrs. Dodds.

They heard a bellow echo behind them and the screech of metal against asphalt as the car was tossed by the Minotaur.

"_Not a scratch." _Percy heard Gabe's voice echo in his head. "Oops," Percy whispered to himself as they struggled up the hill, they were almost there.

Another bellow came from behind them; Mrs. Dodds turned her head and shrieked. "Look out!"

She grabbed Sally and even with her wounded wing she took to the skies. Sally yelped and held her hand out as if to grab Percy from the ground. Mrs. Dodds flew over to a tree landed there out of breath and out of energy.

"Go back you have to go back!" Sally screamed as she witnessed the Minotaur getting closer and closer to her baby, but it was moving slowly as if it was having a hard time climbing the hill. Then she noticed the shadows around the Minotaur's feet changing into a thick liquid like substance slowing the Minotaur down.

"I can't. I'm too weak."

"Percy, dodge to the left when it charges!" Sally yelled; which drew the attention of the Minotaur.

The Minotaur snorted and charged at the tree where Mrs. Dodds and Sally were hiding. Percy saw the Minotaur rushing toward his mom and knew he had to stop him. He took off his jacket and waved it in the air, yelling.

"Hey you ground beef!" The Minotaur turned, so Percy continued to yell. "Why the hell, are you wearing fruit of the looms underwear; they amplify your ugliness!"

The Minotaur snorted and pawed at the ground. Percy could see he was getting annoyed, so he decided to push a little bit more. "You're right! It's not the underwear's fault. It was your mother's!"

The Minotaur bellowed and charged at Percy. As he neared closer and closer, Percy tensed trying with all his might to put to use what his mother had said. Sally shrieked and covered her eyes as Percy dodged the Minotaur. She felt so helpless, she couldn't do anything for her baby and to her there was no worse feeling in the world. So, she did the only thing she could do. She prayed.

"Please, please let him survive." She could hear the bellows of the Minotaur and Percy panting as he dodged. She peeked through her hands-sea green eyes glittering with tears-and saw her baby pushed back against the tree with the Minotaur barreling towards him. Sally screamed, her hands flying from her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. She reached out a hand shouting, "PLEASE, IF YOU'RE REALLY HIS GODMOTHER THEN HELP HIM!"

In her panic she didn't understand that Percy had a plan that he was going to jump out of the way. Her scream distracted him; the Minotaur was getting closer and closer. Percy's attention turned back to the Minotaur and knew it was too late to jump out of the way. He'd have to jump over or greet his dad in the underworld. Percy tensed and was determined to jump; however, it soon became apparent that it was not necessary.

Vines were wrapping rapidly around the monster. The Minotaur was immobile; he snorted and strained against the vines. Some vines would break, but more would take their place.

Percy stared at the Minotaur for a moment unsure of what to do. Should he run to the camp and get help. If he did what would happen to Mrs. Dodds and his mom? The decision was made for him when he felt a hand pushing on his back.

"_Go, snap off his horn and stab him with it. I will keep him immobile." _A soft voice whispered with the wind, the scent of flowers growing stronger.

Percy swallowed, screwing his courage in place as he edged closer to the Minotaur reaching for its left horn. The Minotaur snorted and jerked it head, trying to keep Percy away from his horn. Vines quickly wrapped around the Minotaur's throat, some crept up his head. Brown eyes rolled in panic looking at Percy with…fear.

'_Come on, if this thing was attacking you wouldn't hesitate.' _Percy thought as he gripped the horn. The Minotaur began to make a noise. It sounded strange like a keening, an animal crying. Percy looked at the Minotaur guilt began to fill him.

'_I-I can't. I would be able to if it was attacking that would be defense, but to attack while it's defenseless.' _Percy thought in despair his grip on the horn loosening.

"_You're a hero. You will have to fight to defend yourself." _The voice whispered in his ear.

Percy agreed. "Yes, I will have to fight to defend myself and I'll have to kill to defend others, but I don't have to slaughter something that can't fight back."

The Minotaur's brown eyes fixated on Percy a look of wonder in its eyes. Percy stared back and felt that the Minotaur was more than half man and bull; it was intelligent to a certain extent.

"_He would not hesitate like you do." _That did nothing for Percy so the voice tried a different approach. _"He will not die. He will come back." _The voice said soothingly.

That actually comforted Percy a little bit and he tightened his grip on the horn again. He patted the Minotaur on the side of the face and said, "It is okay. You won't die, you'll come back. It's just if I don't do this, you'll come after my mom, Mrs. Dodds, and me. Not to mention all the demigods you'll go after."

Just as he was placing both hands on the horn and tightening his grip a rasping noise stopped him. The Minotaur had opened his mouth and was breathing heavily making the rasping noise.

"Hey! Hey its okay, I'll make this quick!" Percy said panicking thinking the Minotaur was having a panic attack. This still didn't sit right with Percy, even if it would save others. Though the voice did say he would come back so he might not be doing any good at all. He might just pop out of the ground like a daisy.

"Hhhuuurrr." The Minotaur rasped.

"What?" Percy asked looking at the Minotaur. What did one do when a mythical monster was having a panic attack?

"H-hurt" Percy's eyes widened at hearing that one word.

"You can speak?!"

The Minotaur grunted and tried once more to speak; it seemed pretty tough though Percy can't imagine that he had many conversations over the years.

"It. Will. Hurt." The Minotaur rasped out.

"It'll hurt?" Percy groaned and slapped the side of his head. "Of course it will hurt dummy." He sighed and stepped away from the Minotaur. "I can't do it."

"_Percy" _the voice began.

"I can't do it." Percy interrupted which may not have been the smartest move if the one helping him really was his godmother, but then again who else could it be? "I will fight to defend myself and others, but I will not slaughter a defenseless creature. Please, just hold him while my mom, Mrs. Dodds and I get to safety."

A flash of gold light erupted from the tree that his mom and Mrs. Dodds were in. Percy jerked around with a startled expression only to see that the tree was empty. "Mom!"

"_It's okay Percy. Your mother and Mrs. Dodds have been taken back to their home. Your request has been answered; make your way to the farm house over that hill."_

Percy felt relief flood him and patted the Minotaur on the shoulder. "I'm going to go now. You can leave once I'm gone."

As Percy walked away, past the pine tree that marked the beginning of camp and down the hill toward the farm house he felt shame well up inside him. He was supposed to be a hero and in all the stories he heard not once did a hero spare a monster that would just do harm to others.

"**_There is no shame in what you just did." _**That strong comforting voice resounded in Percy's head making him relax. **_"You did what a true hero would do. Spare those that cannot fight back, no real hero would attack something that cannot fight back."_**

As Percy walked up to the back door of the farm house and opened the screen door the voice said one last thing.

"**_Besides life depts. are powerful things even among monsters."_**

Percy smiled knowing he did the right thing and knocked on the blue painted pealing door. When the door opened he wasn't surprised by who answered it. But the person who answered was sure surprised at who was knocking.

"Hello Mr. Brunner. Or should I call you Chiron?"

Review!

Summer's here! Hopefully that means more updates and new stories! Question: I'm planning to write and self publish a book when I'm done. Would you be interested to know where it is and what it's called? Would you like to know what it's about? I should warn you though it's going to be a series of short stories in one book. If it does get out and you guys try it…I hope you'll like it!


	6. Chapter 6

_**Son of the underworld chapter 6 **_

Ncalkins does not own Percy Jackson, ooc, AU, some instances taken from book

"Percy Jackson," Chiron said in shock. "What, how? Come in! Quick, quick a storm is coming and there is no need for you to be out in the rain."

Chiron stepped back, and let Percy step over the threshold. Percy followed Chiron down the wooden hall past a side table with a telephone into a living room. It was cozy, in it's own way, with over stuffed purple chairs and grape vine wall paper. A fire burned brightly, and sitting next to it in an over stuffed purple armchair was a girl with blonde hair curled in a princess like style and striking gray eyes that cut into Percy as he walked in after Chiron.

Percy smiled at her and waved. The girl nodded at him watching him carefully. Chiron walked over to stand near the fire. He turned to the girl.

"Annabeth, in light of certain events I believe that our conversation would be best held on a later date."

Annabeth nodded once sharply. She toward Percy giving him a half curious and half annoyed look. As she drew closer Percy saw her expression change. It stayed curious, but fear was replacing the annoyed look. Fear began to over take the curious look as well. Annabeth quickly walked pass Percy as if she couldn't wait to get away from him.

Percy watched her leave and looked at the closing door sadly. It seemed to him that his, no friend status, might have followed him from school. Chiron cleared his throat; Percy turned toward him. Chiron motioned for Percy to sit down. As Percy became comfortable on the purple couch he watched as Chiron picked at his beard, and then lean one of his arms on the mantel of the fireplace.

"I know all of this must come to be quite a shock to you." Chiron motioned to his body. Under his coat instead of a pair of pants was a patch of white that extended down a pair of hoofed legs. Chiron had a horse's body; his white fur faded into a light brown near his back legs.

"Not really. No." Percy said shaking his head enjoying the shock on Chiron's face. If it was this much fun shocking people, he should do it more often.

"Well, good." Chiron said getting over his shock rather quickly. "If you are willing, I would like for you to tell me how you came to be here."

"I was with my mother at a hotel that we visit from time to time. While we where there the M-" Percy stopped himself from saying the name. If it was dangerous to say the monster's name then he should get use to not saying names. "A monster that was half man and half bull attacked us."

Chiron straightened in alarm and walked toward Percy. He knelt down before Percy looking him over for injures. "Percy even though I do not see any wounds on you I would appreciate it if you would travel with me to the infirmary. While there you can tell me the rest of your tell."

Percy smiled feeling warmth fill him. Chiron did care! Even if he left him at school there had to be a good reason. Besides everyone makes mistakes. Deep within Percy there was a part of him that disagreed. Percy ignored that part besides for all he knew it was his "guardian angel".

"Okay, there's not much to tell. We got away."

Chiron looked at Percy carefully. Percy stared back determined not to give anything away. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to tell Chiron everything. Even if Chiron seemed like he cared; he hasn't really given Percy reason to trust him.

"Never the less. I would like for you to be checked over." Chiron said stilling looking at Percy carefully.

Percy seeing that careful look sought to distract Chiron. So, he did something completely random. He leaned forward and sniffed at Chiron. "You smell like coffee." Percy states in a matter of fact way and leaned back against the back of the couch.

Chiron looked at Percy with surprise and then snorted in laughter. Demigod randomness was a never ending source of amusement for him. "Come, Percy your not getting out of this check up."

Chiron stood up fluently smiling fondly at Percy who was pouting in a playful way. Percy smiled as Chiron led him out of the room. His plan had worked! Chiron led Percy down several hallways toward the back of the house. Until they reached a hallway with several rooms lining the hall.

"These rooms are for demigods who have been hurt severally, or if Mr. D has guest." Chiron said leading Percy pass the resting rooms toward the room at the end of the hall.

"Through here is what I suppose you can call the doctor's office." Chiron opened the door and Percy followed him in.

Inside, the walls where white with yellow trim. Pushed, head first, against the walls were several uncomfortable looking beds. The ceiling lights were long and narrow placed in a line, down the middle of the ceiling, shining enough light for the healers to see what their doing. As he looked around Percy spied two other people in the room.

"There! That should do it." Said, the bent over figure. The figure straightened up; blond hair glittering in the artificial light.

A small form jumped down from the bed and walked a few steps away from the blond figure. It was a young girl; her brown hair in pigtails. She gave the blond a tooth filled smile.

"Thanks Will! I feel better now!"

"That's great just try to be careful not to get anymore scrapes."

"Okay!" The girl walked toward Chiron and Percy. "Hi Chiron!"

Percy saw her eyes where brown and there was a happy face bandage on her knee. Chiron waved at her. Percy smiled at her as well. The smile disappeared from the girl's face as she caught sight of Percy. She quickened her steps, and was just about to leave when Percy called out to her. "I hope you feel better!"

The girl turned her head, and gave a nervous smile. "T-Thanks."

The door closed behind her leaving Percy with a faint depressed feeling. He hoped that after a while people would being to accept him. He had a feeling it wouldn't be easy. Percy turned around hearing Chiron's hoofs clopping against the tile floor. He followed the half-horse and half-man to the blond boy.

"Will." Chiron said stopping in front of the boy. "I would like you to check over Percy for me, please."

Will gave Percy a nervous look; his blue eyes watching Percy's every move. Percy tried to smile for him, but it was getting hard. There was only so many times a person could be rejected before it started to wear on them. Chiron saw the way Will looked at Percy; he remembered how the other demigods reacted to Percy, and felt sorry for Percy. So he decided to break the ice.

"Percy had a run in with the Minotaur." Chiron said leaning his head forward toward Will as if he was unleashing a great secret.

Will gave Percy a wide eyed look, and he motioned to the bed the little girl had been on just a moment before. Percy sat on the bed and watched as Will, without fear, prodded at Percy.

"This might feel a little weird." Will told Percy. His hands hovered over Percy's chest, and then Will began to sing. "Πατέρας, ζητώ από σένα για να σας βοηθήσει να προσδιορίσετε τις πληγές αυτού του ημίθεου." (Father, I ask of thee to help me determine the wounds of this demigod.(Google Translated))

Percy tilted his head to the side wondering who Will's father was when Will's hands began to glow. A inner light came off of Will as waves of heat rolled off of him. Will opened his eyes that glowed faintly as the light died from his hands. He stepped away from Percy saying, "He's fine. Nothing, but a few scratches and I fixed those."

"Thanks!" Percy smiled at Will. Will looked at him seriously and then smiled. "No problem. Just don't go wrestling the Minotaur anymore."

Percy laughed, wincing at the sound of the monster's name. Will noticed his wince and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry camp is protected we can speak freely here. Well, mostly you still don't want to say something rude about the gods."

Percy nodded nervously. Will was acting nice toward him. The last person who did that, that wasn't related to him or a Fury, left him. "Um, Chiron where's the bathroom." He needed to go pee, badly.

Chiron smiled. "There's a bathroom at the end of this room."

Chiron and Will watched at Percy left. They waited until Percy had locked the door behind him to speak. "Who's his parent?" Will asked watching the door. He was still trying to shake off the cold feeling he got from being around Percy.

"Undetermined." Chiron said shifting nervously. The aura around Percy was strong. At first he had thought that Percy was the son of a minor god, but since the Minotaur attacked him it spoke of a powerful father.

"I see." Will lowered his head. He felt like he had to keep an eye on Percy, but what for? Part of him feel like Percy could be a danger, and yet part of him wanted to protect Percy. He looked, so lonely and lost. Besides from what he saw when he touched Percy; he was going to need a friend. His father wasn't the god of prophesies for nothing.

Percy returned to Chiron and Will. "Percy, I believe that you where going to tell me about your attack."

"There's not much to tell. The monster attacked, my mom got me into the car, and we escaped."

"Did you mother explained anything?"

Percy looked at Chiron carefully. He couldn't trust him; he would leave Mrs. Dodds out of his past. "My mother explained about being a demigod, and that my father was a kind man."

Chrion nodded, rubbing his fingers nervously. "Well, given the circumstances I think we can skip the introduction movie. Will?"

Will looked away from Percy, and up at Chrion. "I would like you to show Percy where the Hermes cabin is." Chrion told him. "I must inform Mr. D of the new arrival."

"Come on," Will told Percy placing an arm around him. "The cabins are out here."

Will led Percy out of a screen door that led to a wrap around porch. They walked on the porch; pass a deck chair and table. Will kept his arm around Percy leading Percy to the place Mr. D held his pinochle games. Will fought hard to keep his arm around Percy; his skin crawled with ever second it was on him. He felt short of breath, and a part of him wanted to curl up at Percy's feet and sleep forever. He felt completely repulsed, but his dad sent him those visions for a reason, and it was up to him to do something. What, he didn't know, but from what he saw Percy would need a true friend, and well...He just happen to be the nearest person for the job.

Percy was delirious. Someone was willingly touching him. Will wasn't repulsed by his very presence, maybe Will would want to be his friend. With every step Percy had to stop himself from leaning into Will. He was so warm as if sunlight poured from him. Percy felt happiness lift his heart, things where changing perhaps for the better.

Will took his arm off of Percy. He couldn't take his skin crawling anymore. So that he wouldn't hurt Percy's feelings he rested his hands on the rail, and began to point out the features of the camp.

"Over there is the strawberry fields. Behind that is the forest where we play capture the flag and fight monsters."

"Monsters? I thought camp was suppose to be a safe place."

"It is. It is also a place to teach us how to survive outside of camp."

"They should teach us how to hide from monster, or how to do less damage to the things around us while we fight."

Will snorted. "Bad experience?" He asked with a laugh.

"Don't we all have them?" Percy asked with a smirk. This was good. He was bonding with someone.

Will tilted his head in agreement. "We also have a archery range, canoeing lake, stables, javelin range, sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where we hold sword and spear fights."

"Fun." Percy said in a sarcastic way making Will chuckle.

"Don't worry you get use to it, and it dose get fun after a while." Will told Percy. Maybe was wrong about this guy. He seemed like a good person. Funny, if not a little creepy.

"Come on. I will show you where the Hermes cabin is." Will said clapping his hand on Percy's shoulder. As soon as he made connect a shiver went up his spine, and he pulled his hand away. Make that very creepy.

"Your not going to show me the rest of camp?" Percy asked desperate for more time with Will. He seemed like a nice guy, and Percy felt like he could be a good friend.

Will gave him a weird look. "Percy, it's nighttime and a storm is coming in."

Thunder cracked across the sky as Will pointed at it. Percy laughed as Will raised an eyebrow. He lowered his finger looking at it. "Didn't know I had that power." He said drily.

Percy snorted making Will smile. Will waved at him to follow, and Percy did. He walked down the steps of the porch. Percy rushed to catch up with Will. As he fell into step beside him, Percy asked.

"So tomorrow will you show me around?"

Will became uncomfortable. He liked Percy in a way; he seemed like a good guy. Though that didn't mean that Will wanted to spend anymore time with him then he had too. Percy made Will feel like death was knocking on his door. And that scared the light out of him.

"I'm certain that you will be able to find your way around. It's not that hard." Will forced a laughed, not looking at Percy. He felt bad. A nagging feeling in the back of his head telling him what he was doing wasn't right.

_'What do you want me to do dad? I can't get over this feeling. At least not yet.' _Will thought trying to push away his ashamed feeling.

Percy's smile died. He had noticed that Will had said that he would be able find his way around, not someone or Will would show him around. Did they treat other demigods like this?

_'Probably not.' _Percy thought. _'Definitely not.' _Percy's guardian angel agreed with him.

The cabins came into view. Percy looked around curiously as Will led him pass without a word. The smell of grapes came from the first cabin on the right. Will walked to the first cabin on the left. Will knocked on the door. Percy standing behind him could hear groans within the cabin.

The door swung open to a yawning teen. The teen was holding a lit flashlight that he was currently scratching his blond head (_'Are all the demigods here blond? And most with blue eyes?' _Percy wondered) with. Blue eyes peered at the two demigods. "What is it?"

"New camper. Undetermined." Will said jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards Percy.

Percy frowned and felt a flash of hurt. New Camper, not Percy, Will didn't even say it kindly. He didn't act warmly. It almost seemed like a hassle, for all campers if the groans inside the cabin was anything to go by.

"Now, now campers. This is what we're here for. Go new places, meet new people, and help all travelers." The blond chided the others. He shined the flashlight on Percy making him blink. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Percy smiled, and nodded at the stranger. Will seeing his work was done jumped down from the porch as far away from Percy as he could get; he didn't even want to take the chance of brushing against him. Percy turned to say good bye and good night, but Will was gone. Percy's shoulders slumped; he told himself he was being too sensitive, but it didn't help. A hand landed on his shoulder. Percy turned and looked into blue eyes.

"My name is Luke Castellan. Yours?"

Green eyes peered into blue. Luke removed his hand from Percy's shoulder. He felt cold. A shiver ran up his spine. It felt like Percy was looking into his soul.

"Percy Jackson, nice to meet you."

Luke smiled at the politeness, if his cabin warmed up to Percy (unlikely given Percy aura) that politeness would be out of him by the end of the week. Unless it was to catch someone off guard, his brothers and sisters tend to be a bit rowdy. Luke stepped toward Percy and threw an arm around him.

"Come on Percy, lets go get you some toiletries and a sleeping bag."

As the walked Percy leaned into Luke. His mother once said that because of the constant move from one school to another, and from being shunned from his peers; he might be a little touch starved. So when someone offered him a friendly touch he leaned into it. Percy found that what she said might be true. Even though part of him wanted to get out of Luke's hold; a larger part wanted him to lean in. Part of him wanted to shun Luke and the rest of the world like they shunned him, but part of him wanted to hang on to what little acceptance he is given until the bitter end. It was a constant war.

Luke tightened his hold on Percy's shoulder. He could feel how tense the boy was, and could only wonder what conflict Percy was facing. Another shiver traveled down his spine, but it wasn't from disgust or cold. It was a shiver of pleasure. Luke could feel the power rolling off of Percy in waves. It felt like he was on death's door barely escaping with his life. The feeling was addicting. He felt like he was flirting with danger that was so great it could wipe out all of Camp Half-Blood.

Blue eyes peered at the demigod at his side. At his side. Luke smirked. Yes, that is where Percy should be. He would make an excellent partner for Kronos, and together they could bring down Olympus. He just needed to give Percy the right incentive. From what he saw from Will, and from Percy leaning against him. Acceptance is a big thing for Percy, maybe he could use that. Let Percy know that among Luke and the Titans is where he belongs. Where he would have friends, and family if he requires it.

They walked to the camp store. It was depressingly plane compared to the cabins only a few paces away from it. Even the Hermes cabin which was practically right in front of it looked more majestic then the store. Percy raised an eyebrow as Luke picked at the locked door.

"Stand guard will you?"

Before Percy could reply Luke was in the store and looking around. Percy turned his back to the door way peering into the night. He strained his ears listening for anything weird. Thunder boomed from over head, and rain began to poor down. Percy tensed expecting to get wet; he usually didn't mind the water, but he didn't have a change of clothes. His clothes kind of got tossed around in a car by a monster, and he didn't feel like trying to find them in the rain.

When the rain never came, Percy looked up. Right above the camp the clouds parted revealing a starry night sky. Percy gaped at the sky. The stars were twinkling, and the moon was full. It was shocking, there was clear sky where the camp stood and a raging storm where the boundaries ended. He was so enthralled by the sky; he never hearing Luke come up behind him.

"It's the magical barrier. It keeps out monsters, and bad weather." Percy whipped his head around catching Luke's smirk making his scar wrinkle.

"You know usually when someone tells a person to be a look out; they don't mean look at the sky." Luke said as he dumped toilet paper, and a sleeping bag into Percy's hands.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "They also usually tell a person what they are to be on the look out for."

Luke frowned nodding his head in thought. "Furies, Mr. D, Chiron, campers...Basically anyone and everyone." He finished with a smile.

Percy watched as Luke turned and locked the door again. Once, he was done they both walked back to the Hermes cabin. Luke placed his arm around Percy again relishing the power he felt thrumming through the connection. He felt light headed a buzzing in his ears thrumming in time with his pulse. All of this suddenly stopped when Percy pulled away.

"I'm not use to people touching me." Percy muttered turning his face away trying to ignore Luke's angry eyes. He had felt glade for the contact, but there was something off about Luke. Something, Percy couldn't place.

Luke clenched his jaw, and let out a breath through his nose. "It's okay Percy. I'm gonna let you in on a little trick."

Luke stopped in front of the Hermes cabin door. He placed his hand on the door knob and held up a finger to signal 'one moment'. "With every new camper we play a little prank. We pile sleeping bags on the floor and have only four beds to go around that we rotate through. My siblings and I keep this prank going for a couple of weeks or so. Just long enough for the camper to get use to it, and then we reveal the real state of our cabin. Since it's so late I think we can skip that."

He opened the door and let Percy through. From the outside the Hermes cabin looks rather small, but the inside was decidedly bigger. There was several levels of beds of all different sorts. On the first level the beds look normal, except they seem to pull out of the walls. From each lower level bed was a latter to the next level of beds. From there things got a little weird. There was beds with curtains all around them, beds that looked like tents, and hammocks that swung from the ceiling.

Percy looked up at the hammocks and saw there was even more platforms with different ways to get to the first floor. Slides, ropes, pulleys, trap doors, and even a trampoline for the campers to land on. His mind couldn't wrap around this. There was too many beds, too many ways to get to the first floor, and too much clutter. In truth the Hermes cabin looked like a club house filled with different things; a very cramped club house, but a club house none the less.

Luke smiled at Percy's amazement. It never got old showing a new camper the real Hermes cabin. Luke pulled Percy through the rows of beds pointing out objects to Percy. He felt pretty comfortable telling Percy these things. The chances of Percy being claimed where slime. If he was a minor gods child then what was the point? They had no cabin to place Percy there, and there wasn't a lot of honor or prestige with being a minor gods' or goddess' child. It wasn't likely that he was a child of a major god or goddess; the only major god that had a aura of death like Percy would be Hades, and few would want to go near him let alone touch him.

_'There's also the danger of being a child of one of the big three. To claim one, now a days, would be signing that child's death warrant.' _Luke thought as he pointed to the walls.

"As you probably noticed here in the Hermes cabin we have electricity. Being the god of communication it's only fitting that we would have the latest games, consoles, internet and gadgets." Luke flashed Percy a smile while lightly touching one of the wires that ran along the walls like some weird decoration.

"Just don't tell anyone. It's a Hermes cabin secret."

Percy smiled nodding. This place was pretty cool, but how do they hide all of it? There was so many questions Percy wanted to ask. The only problem was which one does he ask first.

"How do the campers get into the hammocks?"

Luke looked up at the hammocks over head. "Well, they have a choice. They can jump from one of the higher levels, and hope they land right." Percy gave Luke a horrified look which he artfully ignored.

"They can use one of the ropes, and either swing into a hammock or clime down into one." Percy winced that too sounded rather unsafe. Then again when was anything safe for a demigod.

"Or they can use one of the catwalks." Luke finished. Looking forward he continued walking and talking. " Word of warning. There are fights on the cat walks, missteps, or bad jumps. So it's not unusual for a camper to fall to the first floor. In the case that they do hit the ground and hurt themselves. We do have emergency nectar and ambrosia, food of the gods, that can heal demigods, but we would prefer it if you went and got Chiron."

"Why not just give them some nectar or ambrosia?" Percy asked Luke as he followed him.

"If their stupid enough to jump wrong, or get in a fight in the wrong place then they can deal with a little pain." Luke said a dark grin on his face.

"That's horrible." Percy said wrapping his arms around his chest.

Luke shrugged and gestured to the ground as they walked on. "As you can see there is a number of items littering the ground, by morning they will be claimed by a member of this cabin."

Luke stopped and reached down to pick up a golden ring. He fitted it on his finger when it didn't fit he shrugged, and placed it into his pocket. Percy looked down and noticed a lot of items on the floor. The range was huge! From shirts and underwear to jewelery and books to a pet fish in a bowl. How he didn't trip on something was beyond him.

"Where did all of this stuff come from, and what's with the fish?"

Luke smiled as he sat down on a bed with blue sheets. "This is my bed. Go ahead and have a seat."

Luke scooted toward the center of the bed. He waited until Percy sat down on the edge of his bed before he answered his question.

"Have you ever have an item that disappeared, and no one knows what happened to it?"

Percy nodded watching Luke carefully. Where was he going with this, Percy wondered.

"That item most likely ended up in the Hermes cabin. Once here, it's finders keepers. As for the fish."

Luke smiled and chuckled. "It's actually a funny story."

He reached under his pillow and pulled out a knife. Percy flinched and watched Luke weary of the weapon in his hand. People tended to fear Percy, and it was well known to him that fear and weapons do not mix. Luke smiled at Percy and began to scrape dirt off of his shoes.

"One day the charges of Hermes awoke to a scream. My little brother had woke up to a fish in the face!" Luke laughed lightly making sure to keep quite mostly for Percy's sake. He could see his family silently moving from their beds grabbing items that they claimed. They were all quick to get back into bed, not wanting to be caught by the newbie. That would be a disgrace.

"Well, naturally he wanted to keep it. So we asked the Hephaestus kids to make a fish bowl. And for a while the fish was the mascot of the Hermes cabin. Then some trouble started."

Percy looked at Luke with interest. Luke seeing he had Percy's complete attention edged closer to Percy.

"The Ares cabin decided to play a trick on us. They stole the fish from us while we were at sword training. We obviously got the fish back, it really wasn't that hard. But Percy there is one thing you should know if you want to stay here."

"What?" Percy asked. He figured Luke was going to say something obvious like keep your sword with you at all times, or always be alert.

Luke grabbed Percy by the hair yanking his head back until his back bent. He pressed his knife to Percy's throat. Percy stilled feeling the cold steel press against his neck. Fear trickled through Percy, and fear penetrated every camper in that cabin. The air grew colder, the shadows grew darker, and Luke could feel something near him.

"Never steal from a thief." Luke calmly told Percy ignoring the cold, the dark and the sting that had appeared on his arm.

"Or at least never got caught." Percy said trying not to swallow. If he did the knife would cut into his throat.

Luke stayed silent staring at Percy, and then a smile bloom on his face. "You'll do well here!"

He pulled away the knife and let Percy sit up. Percy rubbed at his neck watching Luke. He never noticed the room getting warmer or lighter, but the other campers did. Luke put the knife away. He was still trying to find out who Percy's father or mother was. As he turned to Percy he locked eyes with one of his brothers; he could hear his brain and the brains of all the others categorizing, dissecting, and most of all, deciding. Deciding just what Percy could mean for the cabin, how he could be used, and if the danger, for there was danger, was worth trying to control him.

"You told me that it was horrible for us to make our cabin members deal with the pain they brought upon themselves. But there is something you need to understand Percy. As the sons and daughters of Hermes we are the travelers, the messengers, the merchants, and the thieves. As travelers we go over all types of terrain. As messengers we must chose our words carefully, or else the messenger gets shot." Luke smiled wearily at the thought of getting shot for what news he had to deliver. It wouldn't be the first time.

" As merchants we must be able to convince, bribe, and barter with others. As thieves we have to be aware of our surroundings. We have to pick and choose our battles. Use our surroundings to our advantage, and most of all not get caught. Have you ever heard of Harry Potter?"

"Er, yes?" Percy said feeling thrown by the question.

"So, you've heard of Slytherin?" Luke looked at Percy who nodded wondering where he was going with this. "We are the Slytherins Percy."

"We have to be constantly careful of where we step. We need to be manipulative. That's why we play pranks, not only is it fun, it also throws people off of our trails. We are the free ones, the travelers and the roamers, but that freedom comes with a price which is we need to be able to adapted to any and all situations. If one of the campers of Hermes fall from the catwalks; it's because they didn't take into consideration their surroundings. For instance they could have pushed their opponent off, or lured them to a safer place. If their the ones who are falling they could catch themselves." He motions to the number of lower hammocks, catwalks, and ropes with mismatched items so the demigod could slide down safely.

"What about the campers who aren't children of Hermes, but still live in the Hermes cabin?" Percy asked curious; there seemed to be a lot more to the Hermes cabin then at first glance.

"They're given a little bit of leeway. However, since they are a part of the Hermes cabin there is still standers they have to meet."

"Standers? Like rules?" Percy asked tilting his head to the side. His attention was taken off of Luke when he heard a giggle coming from behind him.

"In a since." Luke said drawing Percy's attention to him. He felt briefly annoyed that someone had giggled. Rule one of eavesdropping keep quite. Luckily, they could pass this as sleep talking or something like that.

"Rule one is if your going to fight do so in a place where the playing field is level or the odds are in your favor. Fighting is a gamble, and we at the Hermes cabin are excellent gamblers." Luke smugly said.

Percy held back a snort. He didn't want to know who fell victim to the children of Hermes.

"Rule two: if your gonna gamble (not fighting), steal, prank, or sneak. Do not get caught. For a charge of Hermes to get caught is the greatest disgrace, and they will be punished."

"What kind of punishment?" Percy asked.

Luke ignored him, and continued to list the rules. "Rule three: If your gonna talk to someone; use your charm, be subtle when calling someone out, and if you have to argue make that argument sound. If you don't have any way to back your argument, bluff."

Percy nodded in understanding making Luke smile.

"People make the mistake of underestimating us. Each cabin does it and each cabin has their secrets. The job of the Hermes cabin is collect any and all secrets then use those in this cabins favor. This leads to the most important rules. Always do your best to turn a situation in your favor, and children of the Hermes cabin stick together."

Luke looked Percy in the eye. "The breaking of any of these rules will lead to a harsh punishment."

Percy smiled nervously. "Since Hermes is the god of thieves then he's the god of crime right?"

Luke nodded slowly, his eyebrows raised. He didn't know where Percy was going with this. But the way Percy was reacting was interesting, most either grew afraid or tired to bluster their way through. Percy was reacting nervously, true, but he seemed like he was waiting for something to be confirmed.

"So does that mean that Hermes is the god of organized crime? Like the mafia and all other branches of it."

Luke smiled. "Not many people make that connection. If they did maybe they would respect us more. Anyway Percy I think you should go to sleep. Your bunk or hammock is not put up yet, it should be up by tomorrow night. Until then you can place your sleeping bag, here."

Luke pointed at the foot of his bed. Percy felt indignation rise within him. Luke wanted him to sleep at the foot of his bed like a dog?! Percy wanted to scream and yell at Luke. He wanted to kick Luke out of the bed and claim it as his own. Percy took a deep breath. Now would be a good time to exercise rule number three. Charm. As he turned toward Luke to ask, calmly, if there was some place else to sleep when something in the corner caught his eye.

"What's that?" Percy said nodding to the corner.

Luke looked over and saw a corner dark with shadows. It seemed almost pitch black, and the campers where avoiding it. Though he couldn't see it he knew that there was a small statue of Hades sitting in that corner.

"That is Hades corner."

"Hades corner?" Percy asked he felt strangely drawn to that place. It felt like home, but it also felt lonely as if someone or something was trying to reach through for a little bit of interaction.

"In some myths Hermes is the one who takes the souls to the underworld for Charon to ferry away. Basically he's the only one who visits Hades, willingly. So one of the cabin leaders before me decided to build a shrine to Hades. Legend goes that after he did that the corner was swallowed by shadows, and it grew too cold for anyone to sleep over there. If you get close enough you can hear whispers."

"Wow," Percy breathed not taking his eyes off of that spot.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "There was a couple of dares I remember seeing where campers where suppose to sleep in that corner for the night. Most of them couldn't stand being there for long, and would leave. Others would mutter curse words; they tended to come out with bruises, like someone had pinched them, and at times with little soaps in their mouths."

Luke and Percy laughed. To Luke it was strange that a Greek god would disapprove of someone cursing. Percy laughed at the thought of someone waking up with a soapy mouth.

"Is that all that happened?" Percy asked, the corner didn't seem that scary. He just shouldn't curse, and he would be fine.

"Well there was one other thing that lead to the banning of those dares by the head counselor before me. This camper went over and insulted Hades as he tried the dare. Nothing happened to him, and he boasted about it. He insulted Hades a bit more; we tried to warn him not too. But he did, and he paid for it. He started tripping when nothing was there, and having horrible nightmares about past demigods that died. It got to the point when he refused to sleep. There he started to here whispers all the time; people said that is was the voices of the dead."

Percy looked wide eyed at Luke making him chuckle.

"You don't want to mess with the gods, Percy." Luke said. "Long story short he went insane and offed himself. To tell the truth I'm not sure if that was Hades goal. I think he just wanted to punish the demigod."

"So, there's never been any good experiences with the Hades shrine?" Percy asked feeling strangely disappointed. He had expected better of Hades. After all if someone wasn't doing wrong by you then you shouldn't punish them.

"Of course there was, but no one wants to remember the good things. It's the bad that makes it interesting, and it's creepy so they want to keep away. And what better way to enforce that rule then fear." Luke said waving his hand in the air.

"So..." Percy said when Luke didn't continue.

"So what?" Luke asked laughter glittering in his eyes. Teasing Percy was so much fun.

"What are the good experiences with the Hades shrine?" Percy asked keeping calm. He wouldn't let Luke annoy him.

"Oh! Yeah that. Well if the camper brought an offering, or asked they where well received. The place was warm and silent, and the demigod was left alone. They slept rather peacefully, but they never tried again after the first time. People would shun them if they showed a interest or that they liked that spot." Luke said.

Percy frowned staring at the Hades shrine. Luke turned away from Percy and settled under his blankets. He looked at his arm where he felt something touch him when he held a knife to Percy's throat. There were scratches, small ones, but they still hurt. And they told that Percy might have some powerful friends.

"Well, Percy it's time for lights out. Goodnight!"

Percy frowned at Luke's back. He looked at the ground, and then at Luke. There was no way he would lay down at his feet. He didn't mind lying on the floor, but he wasn't a dog. He looked at the darkened corner. It seemed pretty inviting, and people stayed away from it. So that meant he could sleep in peace, and not worry about people stealing from him.

He grabbed his stuff and walked over to the shrine unaware of the eyes following him. He stared at the twisting darkness seeing the faint outline of a small statue with a bowl for offerings next to it. He laid down his things and got on his knees. Staring into the darkness he asked.

"May I sleep here?"

Percy waited for an answer. When none came he felt foolish for talking to a statue, but decided to take a risk anyway. He moved his items into the shadows and slowly inched forward. When he was fully engulfed by the shadows, he smiled. The area was warm and dark, but not total darkness. The statue was emitting an aura that was a fiery orange. In the glow Percy unrolled his sleeping bag. Percy got into his sleeping bag. He stared at the glowing statue slowly falling asleep. His last thought was:

_'This place feels like home.'_

Percy woke up hearing whispers. Which was strange because the shadows where suppose to keep all noise out. He opened his eyes to darkness; the orange glow was gone. He laid still feeling as if the shadows where holding him down.

_**'Don't move and listen.' **_His guardian angel spoke softly in his head.

Percy decided to do as his guardian said. As he listened he realized that the whispers came from the campers who reside in the Hermes cabin. He wondered who was saying what, but decided it was best not to know. He didn't want to hold a grudge against someone for one misstep.

"He went and slept in the forbidden corner!"

Someone snorted. "The forbidden corner, dramatic much."

"I have every right to be dramatic! He's creepy!"

"Oh, come on Travis. You don't even know the guy."

"You saw what happen when Luke held that knife to his throat. It was like a Dementor!"

"A Dementor? I need to get you away from those Harry Potter books. Their not good for you."

"You'll never take my Hogwarts from me!"

Percy flinched as he heard the door slam; he moved to get up, but was still being held down. And with good reason. The whispers started up again.

"You know I think Travis is right."

"About what? Jackson being a Dementor?"

Percy felt a brief moment of panic. How did they know his name?! He calmed down quickly as the obvious made itself known. Luke told them. It made since. As the cabin leader he would have to inform the others of their newest member. Percy heard one of the campers snort.

"Dementor? More like demented."

"Yeah, you saw all those shadows. Only the gods and goddesses of the Underworld can control the shadows."

"Well, if he's really a child of the Underworld then he really is demented."

Percy heard a group of people laugh. He felt a pang of hurt. That hurt turned to anger. They didn't even know him, and yet they where judging him! For a moment he wanted them to hurt, he wanted them to fear him, most of all he wanted them to pay for making him an outcast.

In a flash all of his anger disappeared. He felt drained. It wasn't their fault. It was his. He was the weirdo. It was natural to fear what they didn't know, and they didn't know him. So, he was a little different. Maybe after they got to know him, they would feel different.

"Maybe he's a child of Hades?"

That prompted a bout of laughter. But it wasn't joyful. It was mean, and ugly. For a moment Percy could see the other campers as monsters, or the evil people that where in the movies or books. Delighting in people's suffering.

"Him? A child of Hades?" Someone scoffed. It sounded like Luke, but Percy couldn't decide if he was trying to defend him or if he was mocking him.

"If he is then he won't last long. The big three's children are magnets for trouble and that little shrimp wouldn't last a minute."

"Good! We don't need a freak like him around. This place is dangerous enough without a loose cannon, son of the big three, around."

Percy dimly heard the cabin door close. He head spun, and he couldn't breath. Just because he was different they wanted him gone. Worse they wanted him to die? Or maybe it was all big talk. Campers paling around, hazing, something...something to explain why people shun him. Why they don't give him a chance...

Percy gave a start as the statue began to glow again. It wasn't until then did he realized he was crying. He sat up; the shadows giving away easily. It seemed what ever his guardian wanted him to hear vhad been said.

**'I'm sorry, Percy. I didn't want you to cry. I just wanted you to know that people can't be trusted so easily. You can be nice and respectful to them, but keep an eye on them. Even if you know them well...There's a chance you can't fully trust them.'**

"I know." Percy whispered to his guardian angel. He wiped away his tears, but more kept coming. He clutched his shirt right above his heart.

"It hurts." Percy sobbed; it hurt not being excepted. It hurt being judged before he got to know someone. Even Will turned his back on him.

_'Be strong little hero. Be brave.'_ A lady's voice resounded in his head.

Percy looked up and before his eyes a bushel of plants grew from between the floorboards. The leaves were gray-green with a lacy appearance. The flowers ranged from white, pink, and lavender-blue on long spikes. With every breath Percy could smell cinnamon. The sharp sent calmed him. (A/N: Called Catmints found on gardening . About . com) He gently touched the flowers, and whispered a thanks. He wiped his tears away, and this time they didn't come back.

As he got up he mutter to himself, "Be strong, be brave. Easier said then done."

He walked out of the shadows and saw that the Hermes cabin had completely changed. There where few beds, and dozens of sleeping bags on the floor. The hammocks where gone, and so was all of the objects that scattered the floor. Hearing a sound behind him, Percy turned. A secret wall was falling in front of the shrine. It hid the statue from site, and in no time that corner looked like the rest of the room. There was even a sleeping bag in front of it.

"So that's how they hid their true selves."

As he walked to the door, his mood darkened. He remembered what the Hermes campers said. How the other campers reacted. They all seemed to fear or hate him. Maybe that would change, but he was running out of hope. Why would things be different here?

_'New camper? More like the new freak.' _Percy thought as he opened the door.

His bad mood evaporated as he stepped out into the sunlight. The camp was beautiful. The cabins where all different with campers streaming out of them. He stepped off the porch and turned to look at the Hermes cabin. It looked pretty run down. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. The only thing that shined was a gold caduceus that hung over the doorway. Percy turned away from the Hermes cabin; he figured that the run down look was just another way to fool the others.

Across from the Hermes cabin was a purple cabin with vines growing up the wall. Two boys came out carrying juice boxes from what Percy could see. Percy cocked his head to the side. Trying to figure out a major Greek god that was associated with purple and vines. That's when Percy saw the curtains in the cabin windows. Tiger printed curtains seemed kind of tacky to Percy, but it gave a big hint to who was the owner of that Cabin.

_'Dionysus,' _Percy thought as he looked at the cabin next to the Dionysus cabin. It was a deep even red with a soothing pink door. A glittering heart rested over the threshold. _'Aphrodite, I wonder why the Dionysus cabin is next to her's?'_

Percy began to walk along the lines of cabins taking metal notes as he went. Next to the Hermes cabin was a cabin with smoke stacks; the sound of clanging metal filled the air each time the door opened as campers spilled out. Across from the industrialized cabin was the Aphrodite cabin.

_'Most likely Hephaestus.' _Percy thought wondering if there was any other gods that would deal with metal. As he passed he had to dodge out of the way as two campers came screaming out of the cabin. One was chasing the other with a hammer screaming something about the runner ruining their fire breathing kitten. _'Defiantly Hephaestus, and why would someone want a fire breathing kitten. How do you ruin a fire breathing kitten?' _

Next to the Hephaestus cabin was a gold one. It shined brightly in the morning sun making Percy squint. A boy he recognized came out of the cabin making Percy brighten. Will walked out of the Apollo cabin; he never expected Percy coming up to him like an over excited puppy. Percy stopped in front of Will smiling; Will hesitantly smiled back. Percy noted the hesitance, but didn't let that get him down. After all if nothing else there was still hope.

"Hey, Will! So this is Apollo's cabin?" Percy asked looking behind Will into the cabin, from what he could say it was a mix of medical, music and art.

Will seeing that Percy was trying to look into his cabin was hit with a sudden feeling of protectiveness. He moved into Percy line of sight blocking the inside of him home and his family from Percy emerald eyes. Percy looked at Will with shock a slight widening of eyes; he could see a need to protect in Will's eyes and fear. There always seemed to be fear in the eyes of those around stared into emerald eyes seeing shock, and a calculative coldness that was usually seen in children of Athena. Will shuddered on the inside; Percy could not be trusted.

Percy backed away from Will. He knew he was making him uncomfortable, but he didn't mean to. Maybe he was coming on too strong. Being too eager to get a friend can have deadly consequences. And still in the back of his mind a part of him was waiting for the screaming, the violence, and the betrayal. Percy tried, once again, to shake these feelings off, to give Will a chance, but he couldn't. So he decided to take his guardian's words to heart. Be respectful and kind, but be weary.

Will noticed Percy backing away from him. He felt bad for making Percy feel unwanted, but...well, he was in a way unwanted. Not that Will thought he was bad or anything; he just crept him out. And as a demigod it was natural to shun what triggered any internal alarms even other demigods.

Will rubbed the back of his neck. Blue eyes fell to the green grass and back up to emerald eyes. As he said, "What do you need Percy?"

Percy smiled slightly. He didn't want to scare Will with a big smile after all there had to be something wrong with him. Maybe he smiled too widely.

"I was wondering what you were doing?"

Will noticed that Percy's smile was smaller and subdued. A hallow feeling rose within him. He missed Percy's excited smile and enthusiasm. Will glanced at the sky feeling the sun beating down upon him; he couldn't help, but feel as if he was being judged. Despite this feeling, and the nagging whisper to befriend Percy; Will said nothing to reassure Percy instead he answered his question.

"I'm heading for the Mess Hall."

With that Will began to walk away silently hoping that Percy would go his own way. Instead Percy fell into step with him. Percy looked around at the campers. There was so many people; they where well away from him, but it was still unnerving. A new place, new people, and a history of antisocial behavior did not bond well for Percy.

Will gave a start when Percy grabbed his wrist. The icy cold touch, and the fear that followed made Will want to shove Percy away. He wanted to scream at Percy not to touch him, not to touch his family, and to stay far away from him. It wasn't normal for a demigod to be icy cold, or to install fear in the people around them with a look or touch.

Will glanced to the side at Percy wanting to tell him to let go; until, he saw Percy's expression. He looked terrified. Glancing at the other campers with fear as he edged closer to Will. He seemed to be trying to hide behind Will. Will glanced around; his mind working furiously trying to find something to distract Percy.

"What do you know about the cabins?" Will asked Percy desperate to get that look of fear off of his face.

Percy looked at Will interest muted against the fear on his face. They stopped in front of two cabins that the two lines stemmed from. The campers streamed around them and the cabins, hungry and ready for the day. Percy casted a nervous look at the campers; he wanted to keep moving. It was harder to hit a moving target then a sitting duck.

"Not much. I know that across from the Hermes cabin is the Dionysus cabin, and next to that cabin is the Aphrodite cabin with the Hephaestus cabin across from her. Then there's your dad 's cabin, but other then that I don't know."

Will nodded and turned Percy to face the cabins. He pointed to the cabin across from Apollo's cabin. Percy look at the cabin. It seemed rather plain, made of stone. The only thing that stood out was a golden bow and arrow painted on the door.

"That's Artemis's cabin. She's a virgin goddess, so the cabin is mostly honorary. But she does have a group of maiden hunters that do come to Camp Half-Blood from time to time. Best to stay away from them."

Will pointed at the cabin that was splattered with red paint next to Apollo's cabin. Percy could see a boar's head hanging over the door. Unlike the Aphrodite's cabin, which had smooth red paint evenly coated around the cabin, the red paint looked like someone had taken a paint bucket, dipped their hands within it, and then repeatedly punched the walls of the cabin. This gave off the feeling that someone had punched the walls until they bled.

"That's the Ares cabin. They tend to be aggressive, so try to stay on their good side. If they have one. Across from the Ares cabin is Athena's cabin."

Athena's cabin was a calming blue-gray with a silver owl sitting on the roof over the door. As campers passed the owl's head moved to follow their progress. Percy saw someone he recognized come out of the Athena cabin. The blonde girl that had been talking to Chiron waved up at the silver owl. To Percy's shock the owl flew down, and landed on the girl's shoulder. It looked like the girl was talking to the owl. After a minute or two the owl flew back up to the roof , and the girl went on her way with a thoughtful look on her face.

"What was that?" Percy asked as he turned to Will with a confused look.

"You mean the owl?" Will asked. At Percy's nod, he continued. "It's almost like a brain game. A Athena camper calls out to the owl, the owl comes down and delvers a riddle. If the camper gets the answer right by the end of the night the owl rewards them with a golden drachma, money that we use for the mythical part of our lives, if they get it wrong. Well, I don't really know I've never seen a Athena camper answer wrong before."

Will pointed to the cabin next the Athena cabin. It appeared to be green, but the color of the cabin was hard to see with all the fruits and vegetables growing around it. The cabin had a garden on top of it, and Percy could see a group of campers weeding and picking plants.

"That's the Demeter cabin. If you ever get hungry their nice enough to give you some fruits and vegetables. Though it's unlikely that you'll go hungry here. Meals are pretty regular, and you can always sneak a strawberry or two if you get hungry. There's some herbs there too. I tend to go there to get some herbs for healing."

"What do they do with any extra fruit aren't they scared it will go bag?" Percy asked, it would be a waste for all that delicious fruits and vegetables to rot away.

"Well, I've heard that some of the Demeter kids sell their crops to people, or send them home to their families even if their a year rounder they still try to stay in contact. As for the fear of their product rotting there is none. Their fruits as long as it stays on the vine and near them will stay fresh."

"So they could pick the vine, or branch off with a bunch of fruit on it. Then carry it around for years with out going bad?" Percy asked in amazement his mind couldn't wrap around it.

"Yeah, there's also a rumor that's been going around for years the children of Demeter can grow anything, anywhere, no matter how harsh the environment." Will said feeling his stomach rumble. He wanted to get this over with so he could have his breakfast, or else he would be begging off of a Demeter kid soon.

"They why aren't they going around solving world hunger." Percy felt kind of insulted. He could, kind of, understand why the gods didn't interfere with humans, but they're suppose to be heroes. If they could make a difference in the world, not just the mythic part, then shouldn't they?

"Maybe their scared of monsters, or just haven't thought of it." Will waved away the matter impatiently.

"Across from the Demeter cabin is the Poseidon cabin."

Poseidon's cabin was long and low an solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor. (instant for book)

"Behind us is the cabins of Zeus and Hera. Again Hera's cabin is just honorary."

Will began to leave as Percy studied the two cabins. Zeus's cabin, cabin one if the number above the door was any indication, was big and bulky with white marble columns in front. It's polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streaked across them. Hera's cabin was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls where covered with images of peacocks. (instant from book)

Percy noticing that Will was well ahead of him ran to catch up. Once he was beside Will they walked up the stairs to the mess hall in silence. Will was thinking of the food he was going to consume. Percy was reflecting on what he just learned. In his opinion Poseidon's cabin was more refined then Zeus's. Poseidon's cabin commanded respect without forcing it on people. Plus it was interesting to see all of the sea objects. Though he hadn't noted it, the cabins seemed to be numbered starting with Zeus and ending with Dionysus.

"Hey, Will?" Percy gained his attention as a thought occurred to him.

"Hmmm."

"I noticed that the goddess cabins are on the right while the god cabins are on the left."

"Yeah?" Will wondered where Percy was going with this.

"Then why is Dionysus on the goddess side? He's a guy right?" Percy asked tilting his head. After all Chiron did say Mr. D when he left Will to take Percy to the Hermes cabin.

"In some myths Dionysus sex is interchangeable. He's the god of fertility, so he is show with female genitals in some cases. So, I guess he's both a man and a women."

Will and Percy by now where near the tables. The Apollo table was next to the Hermes table, so they walked together. Percy seeing the campers line up for something swiped a plate from the Hermes table. He caught up with Will who had passed him with a plate of eggs and sausage. Percy gave Will's plate a weird look, while Will gave Percy's empty plate a weird look.

"So, is Dionysus the father or mother of the two boys who came out of his cabin?"

"I-I don't know."

Will and Percy traded speculative looks. It didn't really matter, but it was interesting to learn. Though neither one was willing to ask Mr. D; they preferred to live.

"Percy!"

Luke wrapped his arm around his neck squeezing making Percy choke slightly. Will seeing this as a chance to escape rushed to cut in line in front of his brother and sister. They immediately swarmed him wanting to know about the new camper. They also wanted to make sure he was okay, even from a distance they could sense the aura of death around Percy.

Percy watched sadly as Will rushed to get away from him. Luke unwrapped his arm around Percy neck watching with satisfaction as Will left. He had given Will a way out, and he took it. Percy was once again isolated with only Luke around. Soon he would begin to rely on him, and would follow him to Kronos's side.

"Wow, tough luck. It's almost like Solace wanted to get away from you."

Percy flinched. Pain and anger filled his eyes. He was so tired of getting hurt, so he lashed out at Luke.

"Or maybe he was trying to get away from your stink! You did have your arm around my throat, so he must have gotten a pretty good whiff. I'm lucky I couldn't breath anyway, or else I'd be passed out on the floor!"

Luke scowled as behind them a snort sounded. A girl with brown hair in a ponytail and wearing a bandanna gave them a challenging look. She was big and beefy. Strangely her plate was filled with Mickey Mouse pancakes and a couple of sausages.

"I though you where twelve not five Clarisse." Luke snapped. He hated being laughed at, or being made the fool.

"I was, but your smell knocked me back a few years." Clarisse said drily shifting her weight.

The line began to move forward. Luke snarled at Clarisse as they walked. Clarisse glared at him with enough heat to melt his face off. Percy shuffled forward a bit more wanting to get out of the way if the two of them started fighting. The camper in front of him kept moving forward with each step Percy took. Percy stopped moving, but the campers kept moving forward. It took him a moment to realize that the line was moving again. And the camper wasn't trying to get away from him.

He looked behind him where Luke and Clarisse had been. They were far behind him now. The campers that had been behind them walked around the fighting pair. Luckily no blows were being exchanged, yet. The line kept moving forward, and it wasn't long before Percy was standing in front of a fire pit. He blinked in confusion. What was he suppose to do? Percy stood there trying to figure it out. Sadly his indecision lead to angry campers. It started out as complaints, whispers and then shouts.

"Hey, what's taking so long?" Someone shouted from behind him.

"What are you stupid?" Yelled someone else.

"Get a move on." Percy felt someone shove him from behind, and he fell into the flames.

Percy felt the heat from the flames. He saw nothing, but orange. He could hear the crackle of the flames loud in his ear, and above that was the symphony of screams coming from the campers. Percy felt he would never forget the screams. He felt, so hot, but he didn't hurt. As he sat in the middle of the fire he couldn't help but think. The voices of past tormenters sounded like sirens in his ears.

_"He's a freak!"_

_ "I don't trust him."_

_ "He had the aura of death about him, sir."_

_ "I doubt he's a demigod."_

_ "Maybe he's a Dementor?" "Dementor? More like demented."_

_ "If he is then he won't last long. The big three's children are magnets for trouble and that little shrimp wouldn't last a minute."_

_ "Good! We don't need a freak like him around. This place is dangerous enough without a loose cannon, son of the big three, around."_

Percy could feel tears rolling down his face. They quickly evaporated in the heat. He still didn't know why he wasn't dying. Until a hand rested on his. Percy started and found himself staring at an eight year old girl. She had auburn hair and strangely enough orange eyes. She stood up, and held out a hand.

"Come on young hero. Let's get you out of this fire."

Percy cautiously took her hand. With surprising strength she pulled him up, and then led him out of the fire. In front of him was Chiron yelling at the campers. The campers for their part looked ashamed. Though some of them spied Percy coming out of the flames, and maybe it was his imagination, but they looked disappointed. As if they had wanted him to die...

Percy glanced down into orange eyes when he felt a small hand squeeze his. She gave him a small smile. Then turned forward with a frown pointed at the campers. Percy dismissed his dark thoughts from his mind. There was no way the campers wanted him to die. He was just paranoid.

"OF ALL THE IRRESPONSIBLE THINGS! WHEN YOU SAW HIS PLATE WAS EMPTY DID NONE OF YOU THOUGHT HE WAS NEW, AND SOUGHT TO EXPLAIN HOW WE DO THINGS HERE!" Chiron bellowed ignoring the way the campers flinched.

It was rare for Chrion to yell at the campers, unless there was an emergency. He usually kept his calm. He was level headed, and had a steady voice. This, however, this throwing another camper into death willingly was something he would not stand for. Camp Half-Blood was suppose to be a safe place, not a place where the campers trade in one monster just to gain another.

Chiron took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He needed to be calm. It did no good screaming at children, even demigod children. He turned to look at Percy. Percy was shaking and pale, but for the most part no worse for wear. Hestia stood next to him holding his hand. The anger slowly drained out of him at the sight of a demigod taking comfort from a god.

"Too bad he didn't stay in the fire." Someone behind him whispered.

"Too bad lady Hestia saved him."

Chiron turned to yell at the campers, but found he didn't have too. The two campers that spoke up were wrapped up in vines. Mr. D stood behind them with his arms crossed.

"Chiron what is with all the screaming? It's killing my sacred alone time."

Chrion had to smile when one of the campers whispered to the other.

"What does he do during his sacred alone time."

"I dunno. Look at wine magazines?"

Mr. D sighed, and said under his breath.

"Dang brats know me too well." Slightly louder Mr. D called to Chiron ignoring the brightened faces of the campers. They had heard what he said, and where proud that they knew the elusive god at least a little bit. "What happened here Chiron?"

"Perseus was in line to give an offering with an empty plate. No one told him how to obtain food, nor did they tell of what to do once he reached the fire. Instead they pushed him in. If it wasn't for Lady Hestia; he would be dead."

Mr. D nodded toward Hestia in thanks saving that brat saved him a headache of paperwork. She smiled gave Percy's hand one last squeeze and then disappeared. Behind Percy the flames rose to new heights. Percy looked behind him at the calm flames.

"Thank you." He whispered to the fire.

Percy's eyes widened and he gave a distressed noise as he was jerked back by his arm. Someone was pulling him along by his arm, not painfully, but it was a surprise. Percy stumbled behind Mr. D who had his arm in a firm grip. They passed the campers, and where almost out of the dinning area when Mr. D stopped.

"You two." Percy turned and saw the two campers wrapped in vines dangling from the air. They shouts of fear filled the air. "Your on dishwasher duty, you are to clean the stables, and do what ever else I can think of. As for the rest of you brats...I don't know Chiron will figure it out."

With that Percy and Mr. D where gone leaving the campers at the mercy of Chiron.

Chiron sighed. "I can't punish all of you, not to the extent that Mr. D would want. There will be no dessert tonight for any of you!"

Some of the campers grumbled. Chiron could see that the campers as a whole thought they got off easy. So he decided to pile on the punishment.

"There shall be no sing-along tonight." That got a little big more of a response. With out the sing-along the campers would have to retire early. "I will also be discussing with Mr. D about canceling Capture the Flag."

That got a rather explosive reaction. The campers yelled their displeasure from all sides. They really did not seem to understand the gravity of the situation. Finally Chiron could take it no more. He reared up on his hind legs in anger, and stomped down.

"Do you all not understand! You almost killed one of your own!" The demigods recoiled at Chiron's bellow. "I have always held the belief that here in Camp Half-Blood demigods would be safe. Protected from monsters. Never would I have thought that I would have to protect one new demigod from the more experienced ones."

He shook his head in disgust. The demigods felt the weight of Chiron's disapproval fall heavily on their hearts. They did not mean to make him mad. Just like they did not mean to push the demigod into the flames. But they still didn't understand the big deal. He wasn't hurt.

Chiron looked into the eyes of these children and saw that many of them still did not understand. It was almost understandable with the way the children are raised. Raised to kill monsters that can take on human from. Most raised without one or both parents. Some abandoned, some mistreated for what they could not control, and some who abandoned their human lives for the lives of demigods. The lines between good and evil, right and wrong blurred too easily in the mythic world.

"Go about your business." Chiron said waving his arm. "Will Solance and Luke Castellan I must speak with you!" He called as he trotted away from the other campers.

He could hear the two demigods following him as he walked down the stairs. He could see Mr. D leading Percy to the Northern woods. He stopped between the mess hall and the cabins. Will and Luke walked up to Chiron passing looks toward Mr. D and Percy.

"I thought you where watching him!" Chiron snapped. It's been a long time since he felt so irritated. He would have to do some archery or have some alone time to get his anger back under control.

"I did my duty! I escorted him to the Hermes cabin from there he's Luke's problem!" Will argued glaring at Chiron.

It wasn't his fault Percy was clumsy and couldn't keep his balance. The sun beat down harder when he thought that. Flashes of Percy fighting monster after monster, and falling from the sky. Will winced as he saw these visions, they reminded him that Percy would need a friend. He hadn't been doing a very good job, but something about Percy just repulsed him. There was also something that pulled him to protect Percy, but that part wasn't very strong. Will took a frustrated breath; it would be easier if he could just hate Percy.

"And I watched over him. The only reason I didn't tell him how to get food on his plate was because I saw him talking to **you.**" Luke fired back smirking at Will's frustrated face.

Chiron looked between Luke and Will. Both seemed unwilling to take the blame. Both claimed to have taken care of Percy, and without a doubt Chiron felt that they would claim to be Percy friend.

Chiron sighed. "I doesn't matter anymore. What matters is he's safe."

Will and Luke traded looks. It seemed to matter a great deal to Chiron and Mr. D.

"Will," Will snapped his attention to Chiron. "I want you to take over my archery lessions today."

Will nodded in agreement; he could see that Chiron needed a small break. He couldn't blame him. It must be stressful to be the one watching over the demigods, everyone knew that Mr. D didn't really do anything. He just stayed in the big house, played games, and complained about his punishment.

Luke and Will watched as Chiron walked away. Luke turned toward Will, and looked over Will's shoulder at Mr. D and Percy. He looked into Will's eyes, and saw a tormented mind within. So Luke decided to add full to the fire after all there was only one new person that could be bringing anguish to Will's eyes.

"You know I feel sorry for Percy." Luke said casually putting his hands in his pockets.

"Why?" Will asked blue eye alert. There was that pesky feeling again. The want to protect.

Luke smirked; he could see the protectiveness in Will eyes. Really, the boy needed a better mask. He was an open book for all his enemies to read. And when it came to Percy, Will was an array of emotions. Hate, fear, protectiveness, humor, friendliness, and yet none of those emotions stayed long.

"He's been lead away by Mr. D." Luke nodded toward the god and demigod. He waited until Will looked over his shoulder at the two to continue. "That can only mean trouble."

Will turned to stare at Mr. D and Percy; he could hear Luke leaving. He saw Mr. D holding Percy by the back of his neck. Will gulped. Fear filled him; who knew what Mr. D would do to Percy. He didn't even do anything!

_'Not that it matters to the gods. They tend to punish people just for enjoyment.' _Will thought bitterly. He didn't know much about the gods personally, but their history spoke loud and clear.

For a moment Will thought about going over there. Getting Percy away from Mr. D, and showing him the camp. If he did maybe Percy wouldn't be in any danger again, and maybe capture the flag would be back on because of how nice he was...Then again he had an archery class to teach, and it wasn't really his problem. So without a backwards glance Will left for the archery field.

Percy looked up at Mr. D, who had his hand on Percy's neck, it didn't hurt. In a weird way having Mr. D there beside him was comforting, and so what the grip on his neck. Percy willingly followed Mr. D as he tugged the demigod along.

"Since others seem unwilling to show you around I might as well." Mr. D stated in a bored way.

Purple eyes roved over the demigods that stayed will away from the two. He could see their curiosity, but most of all he saw the fear and brewing hatred directed at the young man next to him. Those looks caused him to tightened his hold slightly on the demigod next to him. He despised bullies.

"This is the North Woods. It's where the game capture the flag is played, and where monsters are stocked to test heroes strength, or used as practical jokes." Mr. D waved his hand toward the woods.

"Jokes? Wow, these guys must have a messed up humor then, huh?" Percy said shyly looking up at Mr. D; he seemed nice, well nicer then most people Percy has met.

"Yes." Mr. D said not even sparing a look at Percy. "One rule, don't litter. The nature spirits or nymphs, well hunt you done and hurt you. It's not pretty, so don't do it."

"Okay," Percy said giving Mr. D a weird look. He wondered if Mr. D had been hitting the happy juice.

_'Wait, Mr. D...tiger print shirt...happy juice? MR. D IS DIONYSUS!' _Percy thought as he stared in shock at Mr. D, who was bowing and flirting with some nymphs, Percy could feel his brain shorting out.

"What are you doing out here?" One of the nymphs giggled. Gods were so fun to play with.

"I'm giving this young demigod a tour of the camp." Percy's brain rebooted as Mr. D's hand landed on his shoulder.

Naturally since his brain rebooted rather unexpectedly Percy blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"DON'T USE ME TO PICK UP CHICKS!" Percy yelled moving away from Mr. D.

"I'm not using you to pick up anything." Mr. D drily said as he bodily hulled Percy away from the woods, and thus away from the giggling nymphs.

They went to the Arena next. Tall white marble columns made a circle formation the tops and bottom of the columns blended together to make a uninterrupted area. Percy stepped in with Mr. D. He looked up at the columns in amazement, they were so tall, as he took a closer look at the columns he notice carvings on them.

"The Hermes cabin won the sword fighting contest-1981" Percy whispered. He traced the words with his finger. The words were ruff and jagged as if someone had carved it in with a knife, and little to no experience in carving things.

"Ares won archery contest-1850" Percy turned to what was below that. "Lance loves Lucy."

He raised an eyebrow at that, but continued to look. As he read them out loud his voice became more and more disbelieving.

"Haterz gonna hate."

"Losers lose."

"Wang was here."

"Bow down to my awesomeness."

He turned to Mr. D with a raised eyebrow. Mr. D looked bored as he sipped on a Diet Coke. He tugged on Mr. D's shirt earning an annoyed look that he ignored. Percy waved a hand at the carvings as he said.

"I can understand the first few carvings, but the rest are confusing."

"The columns were once used for record keeping. Each time the columns lost room the oldest carvings would be erased and placed in a record book. We use to hold games and tournaments, but it's been a long time since we have had any real competition besides capture the flag. So the brats decided to carve anything they wanted on the columns; bunch of ungrateful vandals." Mr. D grumbled as he glared at the few kids practicing their sword fighting.

Percy looked where Mr. D was looking. To his shock he found the campers glaring at him as they viciously attacked each other.

"Why are they glaring at me?" Percy asked Mr. D alarmed.

"Humans, and other beings, have a remarkable ability to blame others for their own faults." Was all Mr. D said as he walked away.

Percy followed Mr. D glancing at the glaring campers nervously. He didn't really know how to use a sword, or a knife, or a bow and arrow. So if they attacked him, and Mr. D didn't defend him, he would be most likely doomed. Anger, and weapons did not bond will for him. Percy quickened his pace, so that he was once again beside Mr. D, and if he walked a bit closer then before it was not mentioned.

Soon they came upon the Armory a building with a shack like appearance. Beside that was the Forge. Like everything else this too seemed to have columns. The forge was open, so Percy could clearly hear the sound of metal hitting metal. He could see the flames and smoke that came with each new creation. The smell of the fire, and at times burning human skin or satyr fur filled the air.

"That's the armory." Mr. D waved a hand toward the shack, which had the door open. "And that's the forge. The armory is where you can, and will, get a ready made sword. The forge is where you can make one."

Percy walked behind Mr. D glancing at the forge and seeing demigods working on different things. They where so engrossed with their work they didn't even notice the god or the demigod taking a tour. Percy relaxed slightly if everyone from here on was going to be occupied with whatever their doing it was fine by him. Better to be ignored then hunted.

Percy moved in front of the open door of the armory. He looked within, and saw only darkness with some faint light that reflected off of the weapons. He smiled at the night sky effect within the dark shack the small bit of light caused the weapons to twinkle like stars. Percy felt relaxed for once; he didn't feel the worry that someone was about to attack him. After all everyone was preoccupied by their activities.

So it is reasonable to believe that he did not expect the knife that soared out of the night sky toward him. Percy jerked backwards away from the armory. He bent backwards wanting to get out of the way of the knife, but it turned out that he didn't have to. A vine had erupted up from the ground and snatched the knife out of midair.

"Sorry, it slipped."

A brown haired girl appeared in the door way. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. Her brown eyes peer innocently around, and she smiled as the dagger was handed back to her. For all intents and purposes she seemed like a nice young lady. If Mr. D wasn't watching he wouldn't have spied the fear born hate in her eyes when she looked at Percy as she apologized.

"I'm sorry, your not hurt are you?"

Percy stared at the girl in front of him. She had thrown a knife at him. He knew it wasn't an accident her eyes said as much. Not only that she sounded like one of the Hermes campers that had agreed that it would be best if he died. He didn't want to except her apology; he wanted to get as far away from her as possible.

The girl's eyes watered, and they were drawing the attention of the surrounding campers. Their hateful glares burned into Percy. He could only imagine what it must looked like to them. Him an outsider, a freak, a unknown demigod, standing in front of her a possibly well known and well liked demigod. Who was it that Camp Half-Blood would side with? Definitely not Percy, so he nodded in acknowledgment and walked away.

He followed Mr. D away from the armory and the forge. Percy ignored the accusatory glares at his back as he heard other demigods surround the teary eyed girl.

_'No doubt she is weaving a story of how I was cruel to her or how I attacked her.' _Percy thought bitterly. It wouldn't be the first time it happened.

Soon Mr. D and Percy arrived at the strawberry field and the Pegasus stables. They stood between the stables and the field. Mr. D waved a hand toward the fields making more strawberries grow.

"As you can see this is the strawberry fields. Don't eat them. Across from the field is the Pegasus stables." Mr. D said his eyes looking intently at the strawberry fields.

Percy turned to look at the fields. Satyrs played their pips helping the fields grow. Lines of ladybugs flew in and out of the fields. They were very organized like an army of ladybugs. Percy watched them with interest ignoring everything around him. He wouldn't mind taking a nap here.

"POLLUX! CASTOR! STOP EATING MY STRAWBERRIES!" Mr. D yelled shaking his fist toward a patch of strawberries.

"Sorry dad!" Twin voices called contrary to what they said they didn't sound too sorry.

Percy heard Mr. D grumble behind him as he walked toward the stables. He peered in at the horses, and found they had wings. His eyes widened. They all looked so beautiful, and majestic. He walked into the stables, and toward the nearest horse. He raised a hand to pet it.

The Pegasuses seeing his hand moving near reared up neighing in alarm. As it came back down it stomped it's feet moving back and forth. It's head moved up and down as it made noises in alarm. Percy jerked his hand back. He looked around the stable as the other horses reacted to the fear of one of their own. Percy cradled his arm to his chest watching in dismay as chaos erupted around him. He back away. As he neared the opening the Pegasuses calmed.

Tears filled his eyes. They began to slip silently down Percy's cheeks as reality hit him. Even the horses hate him. They fear him, and Percy couldn't figure out why. All he knew was it hurt. He curled in on himself still cradling his arm as more tears fell.

Percy straightened as his back hit something warm and large. He spun around fearing that it was a camper that heard the commotion. He was scared that he would be blamed.

_ 'You are to blame.' _A dark thought whispered in his mind.

Percy's fear evaporated when he saw it was Mr. D. He watched as the god's eyes rolled over the horses, and then settled on him. Mr. D took in Percy's watery eyes and tear stained face. His heart felt heavy for this demigod; despite what people may think the Greek Gods can feel just as much compassion for humans as humans can feel toward other beings. It just got buried as years went by, hidden by bitterness and petty squabbles. Percy seeing Mr. D looking at him was suddenly struck with desperation; Mr. D was a god he should have the answers.

"WHY DO THEY HATE ME!" Percy cried desperately tears streaming down his face. He wasn't just talking about the winged horses. He meant almost every being human and otherwise.

Mr. D heaved a sigh. "I don't know."

He remembered the day he walked this world as a hero. The fact that when he was place into his father's calf as a baby did not make him a god immediately. That came later.

"Humans tend to fear what they don't understand, and the things they fear tend to end up dead because of that misplaced fear." Mr. D's eyes hardened and he grabbed Percy by the arm. "That's why you have to learn to fight. You seem to have the most danger drawn to you, not just in terms of monsters, but in demigods too."

Percy swallowed and nodded. He was released. Percy took a deep breath and followed Mr. D away from the stables, and back to the cabins.

"Go get some food. It's lunch time. I'll be back to give you the rest of the tour as long as something or someone doesn't come up."

Mr. D began to walk toward the Big House. He stopped and turned back to Percy when Percy called out to him.

"Why are you helping me?"

"I was not always a god." Mr. D told Percy. He wasn't really sure why he was telling him. Maybe because in a way Percy reminded him of himself. "I was once a hero. Being a hero with special powers even back then is a reason for people to shun you. It didn't get any better as a god that traveled either."

Percy watched as Mr. D walked away. His heart was pounding against his chest; Mr. D was like him. He went thorough the same thing, and he survived. Hell, he was turned into a Greek God! There was still hope for him.

With a lighter heart Percy went to the mess hall ready for lunch. He walked to the Hermes table and grabbed his set. He raised his goblet and told it.

"Dr. Pepper."

The dark liquid filled the crystal goblet; the liquid stopped at the bottom of a gold line that rimmed the top of the glass. Percy smiled and laid down the glass on the table. He turned away from the table ignoring the whispers and stares that followed him as he got into line to give an offering.

"Percy!"

Percy felt a smile tug at his lips. Even if Luke was a little pushy and part of Percy told him not to trust him, he certainly was persistent. As Luke wrapped an arm around Percy making him tense. Percy decided to be nice to Luke and hope he was making a new friend.

"Hello Luke." Percy greeted Luke relaxing as Luke kept his arm around him.

Luke smiled at Percy as he said.

"I see you figured out how to get some food and drink."

"Yeah," Percy said looking down at his empty plate. He needed to figure out what to get to throw into the fire. "Mr. D told me how."

Luke's eye widened, where they talking about the same Mr. D? The one that couldn't remember the campers' names, and tried to avoid then at all cost. Only coming out of the Big House for dinner.

"When did he tell you?"

"When Chiron was taking to you and Will." Percy said in a casual way ignoring Luke's bulging eyes he turned to his plate and said. "Five pieces of bread."

Five steaming hot loafs of bread appeared on his plate. They seemed to be a strange combination of white, brown, and black bread. The smell that came from them was heavenly. Warm and inviting with a hit of cinnamon, fruits, and honey. Percy stared at the loafs in shock; he was expecting bread not a combination of different kinds.

"You have to be specific." Luke explained. "Otherwise you get a mix of different types of the item you want. For example if I say pancakes and I want chocolate I should say, 'Chocolate chip pancakes' otherwise I end up with blueberry, chocolate, cinnamon and any other pancake you can imagine."

"That's a lot of pancakes." Percy said thankful he put a number on how many loafs he wanted.

"Yep." Luke said popping the p trying to resist the impending silence between them.

The line moved forward. Minutes passed in silence between Luke and Percy. Percy could still hear the whispers and feel the stares. He wondered if they would ever stop.

"How can Luke stand being near him?" Percy heard one camper whisper to another.

Luke tightened his arm around Percy and glared at all the demigods around them. That didn't stop the whispers or the stares, but at least they are more discreet then before. Both Percy and Luke couldn't take their attention off of the whispers. Their ears straining to hear, but at the same time their minds wanting to shut it all out. Luckily something happened to distract the demigods, unluckily it involved something of Percy's.

"WHAT THE HADES DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?! THAT'S PERCY'S CUP!"

Percy turned to look along with the rest of the camp. The two fighting were very loud. To Percy's surprise the one defending his cup was the brown haired girl who threw a knife at him. She jerked the cup out of the male's hand. She then poured Percy's drink out. It was a strange sludge like substance that hissed and sputtered when it hit the stone floor. That area smoked and sizzled as if it was eating away at the floor. The girl marched over to Percy and handed him his cup.

"You might want to get a new cup." She told him as she let go of the cup.

She smiled at him prettily and walked away. Percy stared after her dumbstruck. She hated him; Percy saw that hate in her eyes, so why did she help him? She might even have saved his life. Percy felt Luke take the cup out of his loose hand.

"Here use this one."

Percy looked into Luke's blue eyes and then looked down. A brand new cup rested in his hand.

"What happened to the other cup?" Percy asked looking back up at Luke.

Luke smiled wrapping his arm around Percy. He squeezed Percy in a half hug.

"Don't worry about it." He said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Luke pulled Percy even closer and whispered in his ear.

"I know your confused about why she helped you. Just remember no matter how the Hermes campers feel about you they will always defend you. It's an unspoken rule. Discord in the cabin; united outside the cabin."

The line moved forward and before long Percy was in the front of the line. He stood before the fire looking into the flames. He remembered the fear and heat of this morning; it seemed too soon to be anywhere near the offering flame. A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Hestia stood to the side smiling gently at him. Percy smiled back and tossed the first loaf into the fire.

"For Lady Hestia in thanks for saving me from the flame."

Smoke rose up floating toward Hestia who tilted her head back breathing deeply with her eyes closed. It had been a long time since someone had remembered to give thanks to her or remembered her at all. Her orange eyes glowed as she watched Percy throw in the next loaf.

"For Lord Dionysus in thanks for being kind to me."

Percy flinched when he heard the demigods behind him become restless. Hestia stepped forward between Percy and the other demigods. Once again Percy was filled with gratitude toward Hestia as the demigods went silent again.

"For Lord Hermes, thank you for letting me stay in you cabin."

Percy could hear demigods mutter behind him, but this time not in anger. They seemed shocked that he was thanking Hermes for letting him stay in his cabin. A smile flitted across Percy's face, no doubt he was not the first person to think of thanking the gods who help them, but he was the first to think of it out of this group.

"For my godmother for helping me."

Percy through the bread in the fire purposely keeping out Persephone's name. He did not feel that revealing he actually had a **god**mother would go over well. The demigods softly grumbled behind him, not understanding why he was burning an offering to who they assumed was a mortal women.

"For my guardian angel," Percy paused before he tossed in the bread. He mumbled under his breath trying to make sure no one could read his lips or hear him. "If you are a Greek god or goddess, you sound like a god, I give you thanks. If your just a figment of my imagination or I'm going crazy thanks anyway, and I should probably get checked by Mr. D."

As the last bread fell into the fire and the smoke rose even higher Percy walked away to the Hermes cabin table. Room was made for him quickly and quietly enough; he was placed at the end of the table, but at least his butt wasn't hanging off the edge of the bench. Percy ate his lunch (corn, brisket and bread) with no interruptions or trouble from the other campers.

Percy's head turned as he popped the last bit of bread into his mouth. He could hear Chiron coming toward him. Chiron stopped behind Percy leaned down and said.

"Mr. D will not be able to give you the rest of the tour; I would offer up my service, but I have a class to teach. Mr. Solace needs to get on with his learning. Will you be able to find your own way around or should I assign someone to help you."

Percy swallowed his bite. He didn't really want someone leading him, for all he knew that person could try to hurt him. Then again maybe he was just being paranoid and unfair to the other campers.

"I'll be fine by myself." Percy told Chiron; it was better to be safe then sorry. Besides how hard could it be to find his way around; he already knew half of the camp.

Percy waited for Chiron to leave before he got up. He walked down the stairs toward the cabins. He makes it to the Hermes cabin when he hears a giggling laugh turning his sees the princess haired blonde from the Athena cabin twirling her hair around her finger as she looked up at Luke. Percy made his way over there. He didn't trust the campers, but he trusted Luke and Will more then the others. So he was going to as Luke to give him the rest of the tour, it was better then traveling alone and being attacked.

"Hey Luke!" Percy called raising a hand.

Luke looked out of the cabin door and smiled at Percy. The blonde girl turned and glared at him making Percy falter in his steps.

_'Oh calm down princess it's not like I interrupted your flirting...then again maybe I did. Oops.' _Percy thought as he strengthened his steps.

"Hey Percy," Luke said as he lead against the door.

Percy noticed something as he came to stand near the two. The girl leaned back as if she smelled something bad, but Luke leaned forward with a greedy look in his eyes. Percy ignored both of the looks, one of greed the other of distaste, even though both looks gave him an uneasy feeling.

"Luke I was wondering if you could help me." Percy began, "I need a guide for the rest of the camp. Would you help me?"

Percy winced on the inside. By phrasing the question that way he put power in Luke's hands. If Luke agreed Percy was in his dept and who knows what Luke would want. Percy had trouble trusting others, and himself, he defiantly did not want to trust someone who gets a greedy look in their eyes when they look at him. If Luke rejected him, then he condemns Percy to wondering alone and unprotected around the camp. Then again maybe Percy was just being overly dramatic and if Luke didn't come with him nothing would happen.

_'Yeah,' _Percy snorted in his head. _'I have such a good track record with people. What's that old saying...It's not paranoia if their actually out to get you.'_

"Sure!" Luke smiled at Percy. "Let me just get my knife and I'll be out."

Percy ignored the dark look the girl gave him as he tried to step over the threshold; however, he failed. Percy fell and hit the ground hard. His chin bounced off of the wooden floor. Percy winced, not only because his chin hit the floor but also because he bit his tongue.

"Oh, ouch." Percy heard Luke say in sympathy. He also heard the girl scoff behind him.

Suddenly two hands twisted in the back of his shirt and hulled him off of the ground. These hands dragged him out of the door. Luke stared at him in surprise as Percy helplessly tried to grab for Luke.

"I've got this Luke. You go study or go to the arena!"

Luke crossed his arms and watched as Percy was pulled away from him by Annabeth. He could see a desperate fearful look in Percy's eyes; it sent shivers down his spine. That look also saddened him in a way. How harshly Percy must have learned that lesson to not trust others so easily, but how easily he could be manipulated with a few words of kindness. Part of Luke wanted to help Percy to make Annabeth let Percy go. Then again...A smirk curled Luke's lips. Maybe it would be good for Percy to learn how cruel the campers can be, so that he would latch on to Luke's kindness. By the end of the year Percy would be dependent on him, and together they would take on the gods and Kronos would rule.

Percy soon gave up trying to fight the blonde girl. She was determined to get him away from Luke. What was she afraid Percy was going to steal him? That was stupid. All Percy did was ask for some help. Then again he did see this before at one of his many schools. Girls would glare at anyone who talked to their crush. He had talked to his mom about it and she said they where mad that the attention was being taken off of them. Maybe that's why the daughter of Athena was mad at him.

Percy tired of being dragged around open his mouth to get the attention of Athena's daughter. What came out was not what he wanted.

"So are you mad that I took the attention off of you in front of your crush?"

Blonde hair whipped around as the girl faced him. Percy rubbed his wrist that was freed from her iron like grip. Did she have to drag him here? Couldn't she just ask or tag along with Luke and him?

"What?!" She asked gray eyes burning in anger and maybe a little bit of embarrassment.

"Don't worry I think it's natural. It's a territorial part of our brain that all animals including humans, cause we are animals, have. My mom use to tell me a story over how when she was in high school she had a small group of friends and someone knew entered the group she would watch them. Waiting to see if they're a threat. What kind of threat I don't know maybe she thought they where a cyborg from the future or something." Percy blurted out rubbing the back of his head feeling awkward.

"No, she probably was watching to make sure the new person didn't hurt any one." The blonde shook her head.

"Oh yeah that makes a lot more since. She said she calmed down after a few days." Percy nodded at the blonde's reasoning.

"And I'm not territorial!" She snapped at Percy gray eyes flashing.

"Okay!" Percy held up his hands in surrender.

"So why did you bring me here?" Percy asked as he looked around.

There where standing in a volleyball court. The net was strung up and the balls where laying next to the metal poll that held up the net. Imprints of feet and hoofs showed that many campers and their protectors played games here.

"I brought you here to give you some advice." Athena's daughter said pushing her hair out of her face. No matter how good the weather was at Camp Half-Blood the wind still blew the way it wanted to.

"What advice?"

"Your going to have to do better then that."

"What?" Percy asked screwing his face up in confusion.

"That," She waved her hand toward the cabins. "The whole tripping thing is getting ridiculous."

"Well excuse me for falling under the force of gravity." Percy said insulted. He had only tripped once, and he didn't even know this person! Who was she to judge him?

The girl rolled her eyes. As if because she put him, a newbie, on a pedestal he was suppose to be great, and because he didn't live up to her expectations he was the stupid one.

"Demigods are suppose to be great fighters. That means they don't trip." She told him. To Percy she sounded snotty as if she thought she knew everything.

Now it was Percy's turn to roll his eyes.

"Well excuse me princess." Percy said snidely.

Then he offered up a exaggerated bow as he said sarcastically.

"Then tell me oh wise daughter of Athena. How do you not fall to gravity's mighty strength. Do you use telekinesis to keep you on our feet or does your ego help you float."

The girl snorted; though Percy couldn't tell if it was in humor or anger. She crossed her arms over her chest muttering.

"I can't believe that I thought it was even remotely possible that you where the one."

Percy squinted at her as he asked.

"One what?"

"Nothing." She dismissed with a wave of her hand.

Percy glared at her then snapped.

"It really speaks of one's character when they drag someone around only to insult them. Now if you excuse me I did not come here to be insulted by someone I do not know."

Percy stormed past her with fist clinched. He was tired. So tired of being blamed for others mistakes. He was tired of people shunning him, and lately pretending to be his friend. Part of him wanted to believe that Luke and Will where his friends, but the part of him that had bitten that apple and became sick from the poison knew better.

"Annabeth."

Percy turned around with a groan.

"What?" He asked rubbing his eyes. He felt physically tired; maybe he should take a nap.

"My name is Annabeth Chase." Her chin wobbled as she held her head high. Meeting his gaze head on. "I apologize for the way I treated you. I really would like to offer you help."

Percy blinked in surprise maybe Annabeth wasn't so bad. He crossed his arms and spread is feet ready to dart off if needed be. He would trust her to a point like he does with Luke and Will. It was hard to curb this need for friends.

"What do you know about Camp Half-Blood?" Annabeth asked watching Percy cautiously. She didn't know what to think of him. On one hand he seemed nice. On the other he made all of the alarm bells in her head go off, and as a demigod she learned to listen to those bells.

'_Everything Mrs. Dodds told me.' _Percy thought, but said.

"Not much."

It would be better if people didn't know about Mrs. Dodds. He was a big enough freak already among the demigods without adding a Fury into the mix.

"Okay," Annabeth took a deep breath. "First things first, monsters don't die."

Percy looked at her with interest. No matter how many times he heard these things it was still interesting. He wanted to know how these things work. Why did monsters come back, why did the time to come back was different for monsters, what made them explode...He wanted to know them all. Every secret, every magnesium, every reason and every reaction. Even if the answer didn't make sense to what science says, and really the fact that the Greek Gods are real defies all science already, it would be a comfort to know how things work. Even if the only answer was it just is was slightly good enough. Not a answer he wanted, but he could live with it.

"They can be killed, but they do not stay dead. The monsters don't have souls, like you and me; their a primal force. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form." Annabeth had a very good teacher voice it was like being in a class.

Percy blinked sluggishly. What she was saying was interesting, but her tone was boring. So to keep himself awake he decided to ask a question.

"How long does it take for the monsters to re-form?" Percy asked hiding a yawn.

"I-I don't really know." Annabeth stuttered. By the look on her face she hated not knowing something. "Most campers usually attribute luck to how long a monster stays dead. If your really unlucky the slain monster won't stay dead for long."

"Maybe it has to do with how big they are..." Annabeth trailed off in thought.

"Or maybe it has to do with how powerful they are." Percy suggested. "Like if their super powerful it takes longer to reform?"

"No." Annabeth shook her head blonde hair flying. "I've seen really powerful monsters reform quickly before."

"Hey..." Percy called Annabeth's attention to him. "Wasn't Tartarus once considered a living entity. He was like Gaea right?"

Annabeth nodded curiously wondering where he was going with this.

"Maybe he chooses who gets reborn quickly and who doesn't."

Annabeth brightened in excitement. She had never thought of that. The thought of it was fascinating the only annoying part was a newbie thought of it before her.

"I have to go talk to Chiron about this!" She gushed and rushed off waving over her shoulder.

"Bye Percy!"

"By Annabeth!" Percy yelled back waving even though she couldn't see him.

_'Maybe she's not bad at all. Just a little ruff around the edges. Maybe we can be friends.' _Percy thought as he walked out of the volleyball court ignoring the dark snort that came from the darkest corners of his head and heart.

He walked toward marble columns that held a red tiled roof above campers and satyr. As he walked between rows of tables each holding one or more campers working on some type of project. Some were painting, some were making pots, some were carving statues and others making instruments from wood.

Percy passed them all giving appreciating looks, but he never stayed long. Most of the campers didn't notice him, too focused on their work, but when they did their looks were particularly nasty. He couldn't imagine why they were giving him such cold looks; he didn't even know these people!

As he neared the back, he saw a beautiful painting. It was of the rolling sea; waves curling up into the air like cupped hands. The sun was setting; different colors blending together in the sky as darkness descended around the edges. The waves were red, orange, pink and black echoing the colors of the sky.

The painter was smoothly blending and applying paint. They had blond hair shortly cut. As Percy edged closer he decided that their hair looked rather familiar. Percy watched them closely marveling at the masterpiece that they were making. He couldn't help giving a start when the painter cursed as he dropped his palette. Percy brightened that voice was very familiar. He approached with more confidence.

"Will!" He said excited.

Will jumped and straightened in a hurry. Percy clapped Will on the shoulder ignoring his flinch because surely Will was just startled by his sudden appearance. He gestured to the painting, still marveling at the colors.

"Is this yours?" He asked; mentally wincing at the stupid question.

Will sat a little straighter and nodded slightly watching Percy. He didn't know what Percy was doing here. He should be with Mr. D getting a tour, right?

"It's very good!" Percy gushed. His eyes were bright and smile true. He really did like the painting.

Will blushed and his blue eyes flitted from Percy to his painting to the ground. Though he had been complemented for his painting skill before it always embarrassed him. Compared to his brothers and sisters his skills were mediocre at best. Their pieces where masterpieces meant for art galleries, billionaire mansions and in royal castles. He's was barely good enough for the fridge.

"T-thanks." Will muttered as he shyly looked at Percy.

Percy smiled blindingly seeing the pleased look on his friend's face. His sea-green eyes turned back to the painting. Percy openly admired the painting. He wished his could paint like that, or even have a place to hang that painting.

"Where's Mr. D?" Percy turned his head to look at Will.

Will was looking around trying to find Mr. D; the god was nowhere to be found, but the campers where noticing Percy lingering by Will. Will felt like shielding Percy from the dark looks. Will knew the campers blamed Percy for capture the flag being canceled, even though it had not been announced yet everyone knew it was going to happen, he also knew that the campers that willingly came to the Arts and Craft area where protective and slightly possessive of their work and space.

"Mr. D couldn't give me the rest of the tour. I went to get Luke," Percy told Will happily, not many took interest in what he did or really what happened to him.

Will felt irritation at the mention of the son of Hermes; he needed to learn to take responsibility for his actions. Will ignored that annoying voice in the back of his head, which has always been right so far, saying that he should take his own advice.

"But before Luke could start showing me around this crazy girl, Annabeth, grabbed my arm and dragged me to the Volleyball court. Then she left, so I wondered to here. And I was wondering if you can show me the rest of camp."

Percy gave Will a hopeful smile, but all Will could see was the dark glares, stony looks and frowns behind Percy. Percy, who was new and had already been attacked, Percy who viewed him as a friend, and Will...Will did not have the strength to stand beside him.

"I'm sorry. I need to finish my painting." Will muttered not looking at Percy. He would not be able to bear that disappointed look.

He pointed to the North and said, "That way is the Canoe Lake. You can find your own way there. From there it's easy to find the Amphitheater and the Climbing Wall is even easier to find."

Will kept his head down as he heard Percy walk away. His heart hurt, and shame filled him. Percy saw him as a friend and Will abandoned him. Again. But it was hard to stand with someone you barely knew against people you've know practically your whole life.

"Was he bothering you, Will?" A voice asked behind him.

Will turned to see several campers giving him concerned looks. Others still giving dark looks toward the retreating Percy. Seeing those dark looks, anger filled Will. The anger was fleeting, there one minute and gone the next, instead a defeated, tired feeling took it's place.

"No," Will muttered turning away from the other campers.

Blue eyes fell onto their painting. Percy's praise echoed in Will's ears. Shame curled like the rolling waves in his stomach. He felt sick just looking at it. Will turned away from his painting; he could not stand the sight of it anymore. He got up and left. He couldn't finish his painting, and he couldn't stand beside his friend. He couldn't do anything right. And with that thought in his head. Will left the Arts and Craft area and headed toward his cabin with the sun beating down his neck.

_'This lake really is beautiful.' _Percy thought as he wiggled his toes into the sand that encircled the banks of the water.

Tall pines encircled the area around the lake. Green tips stabbing into blue sky. Soft grass gave way to soft sand which was then encased in rolling waves. Percy placed his feet in the water smiling. The water was pleasantly cool in contrast with the hot day.

At first when he left Will he had felt abandoned. Alone and sad. But then he saw the lake. It was serene, pretty and relaxing. Not even the campers canoeing could disturb the peace.

Percy felt himself relax even more. His shoulders fell from their tense position that they had been in ever since the start of this day. Really, everything was so ridiculous. Getting pushed into the sacrificed fire, hearing the cruelty from campers, getting a tour from a Greek God, and finally being abandoned to fend for himself. He was gonna sleep well tonight!

Percy huffed with laughter was he closed his eyes, and tilted his head back letting the sun warm his face. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and just relaxed with his feet in the water and face toward the sky. The world faded from Percy's senses until all that remained was the heat of the sun, not even the water lapping at his feet could penetrate the darkness behind his eyes and the heat on his face.

Percy smiled feeling peacefully in his darkness. It was warm, and dark, and no one could hurt him here; he just knew it. But that peacefulness was interrupted when a hand, hotter then the flames he fell into that morning, burned into his shoulder and shook his body.

"Hey you want a piece of gum?" Was the first thing Percy heard when his eyes popped open.

He looked down at the offered gum covered a golden wrapper. Then trailed the hand that held it up the to the figure that talked to him. It was a male with blond hair and blue eyes. He had on a bright yellow shirt, and white pants. Over his ears were giant white headphones. Music belted out of the side that was dragged off of a tan ear to hear Percy's response.

"Thanks?" Percy said as he took the wrapped gum.

The guy winked as he chew his own piece of gum. He placed his headphones back on the right way and pointed to the gum.

"Make sure you read the wrapper after you start chewing."

Percy looked down at the gum for a brief second and when he looked up the blond was gone. Percy turned around and around the world a dizzying blur as he looked for his strange companion. He looked down at the gum again in confusion. Who was that guy and why did he give him gum of all things?

_**'Apollo what are you planing?' **_Percy heard his guardian sigh in his head.

_'That was a Greek God?!' _Percy thought toward his guardian.

_**'Yes and at times he is one of the better ones.' **_He guardian told him in a long suffering voice.

_'Why did he give me gum?'_ Percy asked turning the golden wrapped sweet over in his hand.

_**'I don't know.' **_Percy got the feeling if his guardian was standing in front of him he would be running a hand down his face. _**'It is a gift. I would suggest you take it, and deal with what ever may come.'**_

And with those parting words his guardian was gone. Percy stared down at the bubblegum wrapper. It shimmered gold; the sun reflected off of it as he unwrapped his chewy gift. The gum was a soft yellow, and when Percy put it in his mouth he found that it tasted like fresh baked cookies. Percy chewed his strange treat as he looked at the wrapper.

_When your in trouble just blow a bubble._

Percy smiled; it was a strange gift, but it was nice. And given his track record it would come in handy. Percy walked over to the amphitheater chewing his gum as he did so. He studied the wooded benches and the low orange fire. It almost seemed like it was about to go out, but no one was around to tend to it.

Percy cocked his head to the side wondering why a fire was left burning, and without anyone to tend to it. He walked down the grassy slope with his hands in his pockets. As he walked closer the wooden seats loomed above him like two cupped hands encircling the fire and placing all those that chose to sit there in a protective embrace.

As he neared the flames it orange coloring changed. It turned into a weary gray and burned lower then before which surprised Percy. He didn't think the fire could get any lower, it was almost nothing but embers. Percy studied the flames and watched as they turned colors again. The gray was now tinted with a light red color. Percy looked at the flames with interest; he took a step back and then another. The flames grew and changed back into the original orange.

Percy stared at the flames for a while longer, and decided that the color and height of the flames must be connected to the people around it. He couldn't figure out why the fire changed colors or why it changed into those colors. It was still pretty cool though. With a smile Percy left the amphitheater chew on his gum as he went, it now tasted like apple pie, which was a little weird.

He walked over to what looked like a tall climbing wall. Kids younger then him scaled up the wall like monkeys dodging lava and crashing rocks. Percy winced as one of the kids god singed and another chose to fall instead of being crushed by the rocks. It didn't seem right that kids like him were doing this.

_**'As Demigods their lives will be filled with danger. They can not afford to be coddled.' **_Said Percy's guardian briskly.

Percy pressed his lips together as he walked away from the climbing wall. His head was bowed and eyes narrowed as he walked away.

_'That's right. As a Demigod my life, and the lives of those I care for will be in constant danger. As a hero I will be sent on quests regardless on whether or not I have years of training. I'll have to fight monster that can spite acid, breath fire, or even control my mind with nothing more then a sword, shield, spear, or bow and arrow. I'm a puppet, and nothing more. To be used and then discarded when broken.' _Percy could feel his guardian try to speak up in objection.

_'Can you honestly tell me that some gods don't see us like that?' _

His guardian remained silent. Percy lifted his head and saw he was near the cabins. Children his age, younger, and older ran around laughing, playing, and arguing. They passed through doors into cabins and went around the cabins to destinations unknown. Seeing all of them made Percy uncomfortable aware of a fact.

_'If I die during a quest. Someone else will just be there to take my place.' _This thought should have been comforting at least the task he would be assigned would get done one way or another, but instead all it did was disturb Percy.

_'We are like sheep to slaughter sent out to our deaths until one of us manages to escape the butchers and return to the flock.' _Percy thought with a rising horror; he didn't want to be here anymore, but where else would he go?

Percy was shaken out of his depressing thoughts by a husky voice calling out.

"Well, a newbie!"

A girl came toward him from the Ares cabin. She was flanked by two boys. All of them where big and beefy. The girl wore an extra large Camp Half-Blood orange shirt, a leather jacket, camouflage pants, and combat boots as well as a red bandana to keep her bangs out of her face. The rest of her brown stringy hair was pulled in a sloppy pony tail.

"Hey," Percy nodded toward all three of them and was mildly surprise when the boys gave him nods in return.

"What's your name kid?" The girl asked him. Brown eyes studying him critically.

Percy felt himself tense slightly. If Annabeth's eyes made him feel like she was picking out all of his weak spots. This girl's eyes made him feel primal. As if his fight or flight senses where in overdrive; he felt edgy as if he was in the middle of a battle field where enemies could be anywhere.

_**'Be calm. One of the first things you must remember if you get in a fight is be calm. If you let your anger blind you; it could mean your death.' **_Percy listened to his guardian's advice, and took a deep breath.

He chewed his gum, now a light mango flavor, and let his muscles relax. He looked at the girl and told her.

"My name is Percy Jackson." He then asked. "What is yours?"

"Clarisse." She said shortly and then nodded behind her.

"Lance." She nodded toward the guy to her right.

"Harry." She nodded to her left.

Percy gave a courtesy nod to each in turn and then look at Clarisse.

"So how may I help you and your?"

"My brothers." Clarisse explained as she motioned Percy closer.

Percy moved near Clarisse eying her. Clarisse wrapped an arm around Percy and pulled him close. She gestured with her other arm at the cabins.

"So any parent claim you, yet? I would hope so after that episode this morning, and the one by the armory."

"Um, no not yet." Percy blinked at her as he tried to get out of her grip which tightened with every move he made to get away from her. "Whose your godly parent? And how did you know about the armory?!"

Percy slumped slightly as he gave up on getting out of her grasp. It he tried anymore he would lose the ability to use anything below his left shoulder. Clarisse visibly puffed up with pride.

"Ares! God of War!" Clarisse gave a proud smile which made Percy smile back. She had a nice smile, if slightly insane, and it was refreshing to hear someone being proud of their godly parent. Percy had little doubt that by the end of the summer, if he survived, he would hear some bad things said about godly parents. Not that he could blame the demigods, or the gods, not completely.

"As for the armory," Clarisse scratched her nose. "Everyone knows what happen or at least a variation of it. Of course we know what really happened."

"What really happened?" Percy questioned, and got the surprise of his life when one of Clarisse's brothers answered. He had forgotten they were back there.

"That girl threw a knife at you when your back was turned." Percy turned his head just to see Lance spit on the ground cursing.

"Dishonorable scum." Percy heard Harry growl.

"How did you know she threw their knife?" Percy asked straining his head to see Harry.

"Our sister Lily." Clarisse said waving a hand at slip of a girl reading a book about fairies. "Was in the armory with that snake when she threw that knife, and she heard the bull the girl spewed when Mr. D stopped the knife."

"That's your sister?!" Percy exclaimed studying the reading girl.

She was small, smaller then Percy and he barely hit five feet, with not a inch of muscle to speak of. He couldn't see her face hidden behind a book, but he could see her pixy black hair and her tiny hands, bony, and slight. All in all she looked like a good breeze could knock her down, and breakable like a china doll.

"Yep," Clarisse said laughingly as she took in Percy's shocked face. "Don't let her looks fool you. She's one of best fighters!"

"Best?" Percy muttered as they walked away.

They were heading toward the bathrooms, and as they walked Clarisse pointed out her brothers and sisters. Percy listened politely just glade someone was talking to him without a grimace, glare, or weird look. His stomach twisted in knots, though Percy tried to ignore it, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.

"That over there is Alexander." Clarisse pointed at a big brawny boy.

His muscles were bigger then Percy's head, and he was taller then Percy too. Everything about his screamed pro-wrestler, fighter, and giant. Well, everything except the flower crown he was making. It was strange, but he had a peaceful look on his face as he weaved flower steams together. He was hulking and huge, but seemed harmless.

"Word of advice." Clarisse said as she leaned in close to Percy as they stopped in front of the restrooms. "Do Not Mess with Alexander. You will be pulverized."

"Why is your brother so..." Percy said as Clarisse gently tugged him forward. Percy trying to find the words didn't put up a fight or question what she was doing because he didn't really notice.

"Flowery?" Clarisse offered as she opened the door to the restrooms her brothers falling in behind the two.

"Yeah..." Percy trailed off as he realized they where not outside anymore.

"Some think he was dropped on his head as a child. Others thinks he's kind of like the representations of loyalty, protectiveness, strength, and togetherness that comes with war. He's the peace that comes between battles, and he doesn't really like to fight, but he will defend those he cares for. He's kind of like the last stand before home front is taken...I don't know I personally think he was dropped on his head." Clarisse tried to explain as Percy turned toward her still taking in everything around him.

Percy felt himself stiffen when he saw Harry and Lance blocking the only exit of the room. Bale crawled up his throat squeezing his heart on the way and filling it with bitterness. The knots in his stomach could no longer be ignored. The taste in his mouth was sour, but Percy couldn't tell if it was from his fear or the gum turning from a mango taste into a lemon one.

"This is the glorious bathroom." Clarisse said sarcastically raising her arms in a 'look at this' gesture.

Percy privately agreed as he began to chew his gum wildly. The place smelled, the floor was wet, paper towels littered the floor, the ceiling was falling apart, and so was the floor, and the stalls. Clarisse opened a stall, carefully, not wanting to be the one who got into trouble for breaking the door. She kind of pitied the fool who does, but better them then her.

"This is the stall." Clarisse said as she grabbed Percy; she turned him to face the stall, and pushed him into it.

"But I don't need to go to the bathroom!" Percy blurted out as he grabbed onto the side of the stalls digging his heels into the ground.

It wasn't the best thing to say, but he's brain was kind of short-circuiting right now. Everything was strange and wrong today. Percy heard two snorts as four hands pried his grip off the walls. Percy was folded into the stall Clarisse right behind him. She forced him on his knees in front of the toilet. Clarisse began to push Percy head toward the toilet. The toilet smelled and had nasty flacks floating in it. He did not want to have his head in it, so he fought against Clarisse's hold.

"It's nothing personal! This is just a initiation process." Clarisse said as she strained to push Percy's head into the toilet. "Just give in and it will be over quickly! After you take a shower we can all go to lunch; you can sit with us."

_'If I need to have my head dunked into a toilet to be excepted then I rather be an outcast.' _Percy thought as he covered his tongue with his magic gum.

He squeezed his eyes shut and blew a bubble. The bubble was small, but the impact was big. Percy could feel the gum heat up as it left his mouth. It started to vibrate, and then finally it blew up. For Percy there was a bust of blue light behind his eyes, a loud sound, and then nothing. For the children of Ares there was a bright light, a loud sound, and then nothing. Because they where all knocked out by a sonic blast from Apollo's special gum, they never saw Percy disappear.

_ 'No one can be trusted.' _Was Percy's first thought when he woke up.

There was a faint ringing in his ears, and total darkness all around him. Percy sat up and looked around. The ringing was fading fast replaced by faint whispers. Percy had an idea of where he was, and that idea was confirmed when he turned his head to his left. The Hades statue was glowing a dark angry red, but it wasn't giving much light against the shadows.

Percy moved sluggishly as he got up; this area was so warm he didn't want to leave. The shadows almost seemed to sense his reluctance to get up; they felt like solid arms, wrapping around him, holding him tight. The hold felt protective and the area felt like home, but Percy had to find out what happened in the restrooms.

He stepped out of the "forbidden corner" and into the Hermes cabin. Percy turned to see the Hades corner disappear behind the secret wall. Percy turned away from the wall and began to carefully step around the sleeping bags. His heart felt heavy; he felt tired, and sick. Part of him childishly wanted to stomp on the sleeping bags; he refrained that part, it wouldn't do any good.

Percy was nearing the door way when Luke's head popped in. Percy jumped not expecting the door to open so quickly or to see Luke's face light up. A wide, honest, smile stretched over Luke's face. His blue eyes lightened, and he seem genuinely glade to see Percy. Percy gave a small smile back at him; Luke looked so happy to see him that Percy couldn't help smiling back.

"There you are!" Luke rushed into the cabin grabbing Percy's arm and pulled him to the door. He ignored how Percy tensed as he babbled on. "You won't believe what happened! Where have you been? It's dinner time and you need to eat or else Chiron will get anxious."

Luke caste a sharp look at Percy wanting answers. Percy shrugged avoiding Luke's glaze muttering.

"I'm been around."

Luke turned forward again muttering, "Of course."

Percy pushed away a pang of gilt; Luke seemed like he was really hurt that Percy didn't give him a direct answer. But that was ridiculous because Luke was just like everyone else, he would pretend to be nice and then stab him in the back later.

_'But what if he isn't like everyone else. There is always an exception to the rule.' _A hopeful voice whispered in Percy's head.

As they started to pass the bathrooms Percy violently shoved that thought away, and stared wide eyed at the bathrooms. Or at least what was left of them. There was not walls, no roof, no stalls, and no door. Just a pile of rubble. A mix of wood, plastic and porcelain pieces on top of muddy ground. Percy really hoped it was just mud.

Luke tugged at Percy when the strange boy didn't move. He turned his head to look at Percy, and had to laugh at Percy's wide eyed and slack jawed expression. He looked at the remains of the bathroom and felt a sense of admiration for who ever blew it up. Luke could always take time to appreciate a good dose of chaos.

"Oh yeah, someone blew up the bathroom!" Luke laughed as Percy gave him a disbelieving look.

"How did that happen?" Percy asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"No one knows." Luke snickered to himself as he said. "But three children of Ares were inside the bathrooms. They were knocked unconscious under the rubble."

"They were okay, right?!" Percy asked terrified.

He blew that bubble. He was the one who blew up the bathroom. And if Clarisse and her brothers were hurt it was his fault!

_'You didn't know that the gum would do that. If anything it was Apollo's and Clarisse's fault for giving you a dangerous weapon and forcing you to use it.' _A voice in Percy's head hissed sounding like rasping snakes.

_'I didn't have to use the bubble of doom.' _Percy argued. _'What kind of idiot uses a weapon that they do not know how to use. Besides I could have found a way out of that situations without blowing up the bathroom!'_

_ 'Yeah, like letting your head get stuck down a toilet. Then after you suffer that humiliation and after you shower, you can play nice with the people who tried to harm you.' _The voice pointed out harshly and then said sarcastically. _'That would have made perfect sense.'_

"Oh their fine. They were complaining about a ringing in their ears, but they recovered." Luke said uncaring. Really they were fine and if they went on a quest they would be faced with worse.

"Mr. D was pretty angry though. He said that they would have to clean up and rebuild the bathrooms though Hephaestus's children said they would help with that." Luke said as he began to pull Percy away from the bathroom remains. He was getting hungry and didn't want to wait anymore.

"Oh," Percy said softly and then louder. "Isn't there another way to rebuild the bathrooms without the Ares children have to rebuild it?"

"I guess." Luke shrugged and then said thoughtfully. "The gods could snap their fingures and make one for us. Not that they would it'd be to much work for them; plus who would want to be named lord of the bathroom."

Percy gave a short laugh as he followed Luke up the stairs to the dining area. The made it to the tables and Percy was picking up his plate when he saw something that made him freeze. Clarisse, Lance, and Harry were glaring at him. Anger made their eyes flashed. Percy swallowed in unease; he didn't need anymore enemies.

"What did you do?" Luke whispered in Percy's ear as the walked to the line to give sacrifices.

"Nothing." Percy shrugged off Luke's question. Well, nothing intentional. He didn't know that the gum would explode like that.

Still, Percy decided as he ate his dinner after giving thanks to the gods, he should apologize and straighten it out with Mr. D. So after he was done he walked over to the Ares table and stood before Clarisse and her brothers. They all glared at him, fire in their eyes, Percy had a strange feeling that even if he said sorry; he would not be forgiven for a long time.

"I'm sorry for what happened with the bathrooms." Percy started off only to flinch at Clarisse's even angrier look.

She looked like she was about to argue, so Percy hurried to say.

"Please, just hear me out."

Clarisse shut her mouth and watched Percy waiting to see what he had to say. Percy becoming aware of all the looks from the campers he was gaining said in a hurried whisper.

"Before you tried to stuff my head down a toilet, which was gross and unnecessary by the way," Percy felt his heart lighten a bit as Clarisse cracked a small smile. "This strange guy with giant white headphones gave me a piece of gum and told me to blow a bubble if I was in trouble! I didn't know that would happen if I blew a bubble, and I swear I'll..."

Percy trailed off when he saw Clarisse's, Lance's, and Harry's rapidly reddening face. She was glaring again, and against his will Percy felt a shiver go down his back.

"Yeah right Jackson!" Clarisse hissed at Percy her eyes flashing. "As if a god would waste a gift on you." She sneered making Percy flinch.

"But..." Percy started feel pitiful. He was telling the truth.

"Besides gods don't get involved in the affairs of demigods, and they wouldn't come to Camp Half-Blood!" Clarisse said her hands clinched into fist. Brown eyes flickered behind Percy.

Percy wanted to look at what she was looking at, but felt that would be a bad move. So he decided to do the next best thing. Defend his honor.

"I am not lying!" Percy snapped glaring at Clarisse his sea green eyes darkening.

"Whatever." Clarisse snorted going back to her dinner wanting to ignore Percy.

To bad Percy didn't leave. He ignored the stares, glares, and wondering looks as he leaned toward Clarisse and her brothers. Clarisse looked up into Percy's eyes and gave a slight start. Instead of the sparkling sea-green eyes from before, now they were as green and hard as emeralds.

"I am not lying Clarisse La Rue." Percy growled out using the name his guardian provided him.

Clarisse felt herself stiffen. She had not told him her last name. How did he know? As Percy continued to talk the ground underneath Clarisse, her brothers, and Percy rocks slightly. Small cracks formed under their feet. Both actions so slight unless one was paying close attention they would go unnoticed.

"How else do you think that room blew up?" Percy moved his head to force Clarisse to keep looking into his eyes. "That bathroom was built with demigods in mind. Do you honestly think that it would be easy to destroy even with it weakening with age?"

Clarisse flushed as she clinched her jaw. She had the feeling that Percy was telling the truth, but her pride would not allow her to recognize that fact. To do so would to show weakness, and children of Ares do not show weakness (if they can help it). So instead of accepting what Percy said she sneered once more.

"Whatever."

If possible Percy's eyes darkened more, and the air grew cold. He opened his mouth most likely about to say something he would regret. When a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Percy what are you doing over here?" Luke said joyfully as he pulled Percy away the Ares table.

Percy blinked in suprise to see Luke smiling at him. Emerald eyes began to lighten and change once more to his calmer sea-green eyes. Blue eyes sparkled with mischief as Luke said.

"Come on lets get you away from here. If you stay too long you might catch their stench."

"What was that Castellan?" Lance growled at the blue eyed Hermes camper.

"Hmmm," Luke hummed flashing a taunting smile. "What's wrong can't hear with all that dirt in your ears."

The Ares's campers flushed red. Percy was certain that if Chiron and Mr. D was not at the head table, chatting, then the campers would be up and trying to pound Luke and Percy into the ground. That being said, those actions would probably start a camper war between the Ares cabin and the Hermes cabin. If what Luke said about the Hermes cabin protecting their own was true. Percy pondered if what Luke told him about the Hermes cabin was real, and it seem like it was, as Luke dragged him away from the Ares table.

"If your going to lie. Your going to have to do better then take." Luke's hot breath hit Percy's ear making him shiver.

Percy moved his head away from Luke's mouth as he said.

"I wasn't lying."

Luke studied Percy, gauging his truthfulness. Luke turned away from Percy as he pulled him away from the dining area. Percy followed Luke silently sulking. It seemed everyone delighted in dragging him somewhere and it almost always ended bad for him.

"I believe you." Luke told Percy.

"You do?" Percy asked surprise flying across his face. Now that he thought about what he told Clarisse...

A random guy with headphones giving him a piece of gum, that changed flavors, and told him to blew a bubble when he was in trouble. And Percy when his head was about to be sent down a toilet blew a bubble that blew up the bathroom, and knocked out everyone inside. When put like that his story didn't sound very believable. No wonder Clarisse didn't believe him. Percy reflected with a groan.

Luke laughed guessing at Percy's thoughts. He turned to Percy and said with a smile.

"Yeah, I believe you. There's too much honesty in your eyes; plus I don't think your a very good lair."

Luke rubbed Percy head messing up his hair. Percy pushed Luke's hand away telling him.

"How would you know? I've never lied to you."

"I guess that's true." Luke said good naturally rubbing his chin with a playful thoughtful look.

Percy snorted as he hunched his shoulders and took a step away from Luke. Luke smiled at the snort, and even though Percy was trying to get away from him, he rejoiced. Thanks to Clarisse and her dumb brothers they made Percy less likely to trust others, and Luke would be there to pick up the pieces. Soon Percy would rely on him. Of course if it was a god that gave Percy the gum...Maybe Luke can spin this to his advantage.

Percy watched as Luke's smile turned bitter. His eyes flashed with a dark light. His hand fell from his face and clenched into fist.

"I believe you Percy because I know how the gods love to play with us."

"What happened?" Percy asked cautiously. He knew sometimes bitterness could blind a person and make something that wasn't that bad into something horrible, and it took a lot for a person to see that it wasn't all bad.

"Like all gods my father left my mother pining away like some love sick fool." Luke began noticing Percy's wince at the harshness he hurried to explain.

"It's not that I do not love my mother or respect her to a certain extent, but she has cut outs of anything Hermes related plastered to the wall. She never tried to date again, and she would always get excited when the mailman would come...only to feel crushing disappointment when it wasn't Hermes."

Percy winced again. That didn't sound like a good existence or a good home life for a kid. Now, that he thought about it. He probably was very fortunate. His mother was a strong and caring woman even after she married Smelly Gabe she never let him push her around. She also never let her love for his dad destroy her instead she loved Percy with all her heart and used that love to work hard.

"My mother was sick because of something Hermes did." Luke explained catching Percy's attention. He could see a question in his eyes; a question of what kind of sickness his mother has, but Luke wouldn't tell him. At least on yet.

"He left me with a woman who was...unstable." Luke said struggling to find the right words. He wanted Percy's loyalty, for him to rightfully hate the gods, not pity.

"When I finally came here I had hope that things would be better. I had found people like me, but then I lost a friend and found once more that the cruelty of the gods is unmatched. My friend died to get Annabeth and I to safety. Then, after all that, Mr. D callously scorned Thalia's sacrifice, and then with broken hearts with only each other Annabeth and I were sent to the Hermes cabin. But even that was not meant to be. Athena saw fit to tear us apart by claiming Annabeth before we reached the Hermes cabin; she couldn't even give us one night to stay together and grieve." Bitterness bloomed like roses underneath Luke's words.

"I'm certain that lady Athena didn't see it that way." Percy said trying to reason with Luke. There was no way Athena claimed Annabeth out of spite. "Besides it's not like you never saw her again."

"That's not the point!" Luke snapped blue eyes narrowed and flashing. "She knew we had lost someone important. We lost a family member and we were given no time to grieve. We didn't know anyone besides Grover, and then we were torn apart. Don't you understand Percy? I can't speak for Annabeth, but I felt abandoned my whole life. I felt wronged, alone, and isolated."

Luke smothered a smile. He could see his words were hitting home. Percy was flinching his eyes reflecting a pain that Luke felt his whole life back to him. Luke took Percy by the shoulder and led him to Canoe Lake. It was the perfect place to talk to Percy about his experiences. No one would be there at this time; they would be heading to the Amphitheater, and it was becoming dark enough that no one would approach them.

At the lake shore Luke pulled Percy down to sit in the sand. Dark waves rolled toward their feet never touching, but getting close. The air was warm and sweet. Percy could hear campers singing songs as they stomped past the lake holding lanterns to guide their way to the Amphitheater. They sat in silence staring up at the star lit sky, and then Luke spoke.

"Annabeth and I grieved in our own ways. She tossed herself into the demigod life learning everything she could." Percy smiled hearing the fondness in Luke's voice.

"After a while the grief I felt ebbed, I can't speak for Annabeth though I am certain that she does not feel as horrible as she once did, I grew use to life at camp. Then came the day that every demigod dreams of...I was offered a quest."

Percy scoffed causing Luke to look at him. Resting his head on his knees Percy told Luke.

"I don't get the big deal about getting a quest."

"A quest is were a demigod gets to test their strength. We go out into the real world to fight monsters and prove ourselves to our fellow demigods." Luke said brightly.

Percy turned his head to look at Luke. Luke's eyes burned brightly. His scar scrunched up because of his savage smile. The flames of adventure rose beneath his words, and Percy would bet his bed that Luke was feeling the rush of battle through his veins. When spoken like that it would be easy to get swept up in the excitement...except.

"Prove ourselves to our fellow demigods?" Percy questioned. "Don't you mean prove ourselves to our godly parents?"

Luke fell silent watching Percy carefully. He waited for Percy to continue in his line of thought. He was not disappointed.

"Quest are only assigned to demigods because gods assign them." Percy continued.

Luke wondered, silently, when Percy learned that nugget of knowledge. He hadn't told Percy anything...Maybe, someone else told him.

"So by doing them, and trying to succeed we are doing it for our parents. We risk our lives for people we've never known on quest that in most cases are fool hearty." Percy said taking in Luke's surprised look. "It's almost like everyone here forgets that we are just children, and even though we have a dangerous life wouldn't be better for us to stay here?"

"It would be safer for us to stay here." Luke said carefully. A spark of hope ignited with in him to hear Percy speak like this maybe it would be easier then he thought to get him on their side. "However, the gods do need us to preform errands."

Luke's lips twisted downward. He didn't like the thought of being a errand boy, a messenger, or anything that related him to his father.

"I guess." Percy said burying his head in his knees. He still didn't think it was right. Putting kids on the front line for your own selfish gain.

"Anyway," Luke said steering the topic back to his past. "I was given a quest to pick a golden apple. The same task that Hercules was given." Luke muttered bitterly and then continued in a normal tone. "While on that quest I gained this scar and a new wake up call when it come to the gods."

"What happened?" Percy asked raising his head from his knees.

"Like most demigods on a quest I had two helpers, and like all demigods that make it to camp-half blood we were attacked. I watched as my friends were torn apart while they screamed for their father to help them. And he didn't answer.." Luke said snapping his jaw shut tight.

Luke clenched his fist. He could still feel the helplessness when placed in that position. The anger. The fear...Luke clenched his eyes closed swallowing back tears. No, he wouldn't feel that helplessness anymore, nor that fear. He would focus on the anger because that was the only thing that drove him anymore. He would topple Olympus for his family.

"Who was their father?" Percy asked though deep inside he already knew the answer.

"Who do you think?" Luke smile bitterly. "For the god of messengers, he certainly doesn't know how to answer one."

Percy frowned as Luke stood up. He couldn't wrap his head around Hermes not doing anything while his children called out for help. It seemed too cold, for an immortal being with super powers to stand by and like their own flesh and blood be murdered. And on a quest that he had sent them on...a quest...more like a death sentence.

Percy gave a start when a hand appeared in front of his face. He looked up at Luke who had abandoned his bitter look for a soft smile.

"Come on it's almost curfew. We better head back to the cabin."

Percy took Luke's hand. Once he was standing he brushed off the grass from his jeans. His hands stung from his nails biting into his flesh. Funny, he couldn't even remember clenching his fist. As he followed Luke back to the cabin he felt a small part of him hope that he may have found a friend.

As Luke led Percy back to the cabin. He felt that he had secured a follower.

Review! Sorry that I took so long this is one of my longer chapters, and school was kickin' my but. Finals are here!


	7. Chapter 7

_**Son of the underworld chapter 7**_

Ncalkins does not own Percy Jackson, ooc, AU, some instances taken from book(s), warning: Dark

It wasn't long before Percy developed a pattern at camp. Each day started the same 8:00am to 9:00am was breakfast and cabin inspection which the Hermes cabin tend to pass with flying colors (at least the Hermes cabin believed that they did) when another camper from another cabin inspected it. They would hide anything that might get them docked points; however, when they had to deal with Luke, in the handful of situations where he was the inspector, points were docked when something that was suppose to be hidden well was not hidden at all or hidden poorly. Meaning that if Luke could spot the item within two seconds the owner of that item was in trouble and for the bad luck of most Hermes campers Luke had very sharp eyes.

Percy always winced when Luke began to chew out a camper, he had a real sharp tongue, and that was only for the little things. When a camper lost a lot of points for, oh say an electronic, they were paired with Luke in the training field during practice a fate that all in the Hermes cabin dreaded. When it was Luke checking over his own cabin he would dock the customary points for disorder and mess, but the real challenge was trying to hide things from him.

It was a kind of game among them. Each Hermes camper had a designated item that they had to hide for that day. They had the eight whole days before to think of a good hiding spot for that item, so no mercy was given if they slacked off. The items themselves ranged from small like a battery to big like a radio, and each item was something that would usually get them in major trouble in camp or killed in the real world. Percy often wondered how they got these items, but decided it was probably better that he didn't know.

If a Hermes camper was able to go through the whole inspection without getting their item caught then they won. The winner would be given Luke's dessert that day for tricking him and bragging rights. Percy has yet to win that game; though Luke had given him a small item to hide with the excuse that if Percy wanted to live in the Hermes cabin he would have to act like a Hermes child. Percy wondered if Luke was giving him special treatment; it felt like it, and from the whispers of some of the other Hermes campers they thought so too.

From 9:00am – 10:30 am, everyday, was Ancient Greek. Sometimes Annabeth was the one to teach him, which was nice. She treated him like a normal person; she still flinched and looked at him wearily, but not as bad as other people. There were times that he and Annabeth would get into discussions about life, Greek Gods, and anything else that came to mind. It was one of the favorite parts of Percy's day. There were times that he didn't understand what Annabeth was talking about, or what she was saying didn't click at the time, and then Annabeth would tease him. He found that trying to bluff his way out only made it worse, but spending time with Annabeth never failed to bring a smile to his face. There were times when Chiron had to teach him, and those were the best! Chiron would bring him little treats such as donuts, croissant, and once even a cappuccino! Percy was always afraid that Chiron would regret doing that, but he never did.

10:30am – 11:00am changed from day to day. On Monday he had Lunch Preparations with the Demeter cabin and sometimes with the Dionysus cabin which could be fun. If one ignored the heat coming from the dish washing area, and nobody did anything more then glare at him. Though the Dionysus cabin seemed to tolerate him a bit more, Percy likes to think that it was because he showed respect to their dad.

On Tuesday he had Store Checks alone. Which never bothered him because it was peaceful without others breathing down his neck; he could do without the dust, and the odd spider though.

Wednesday he had to clean the stables which wasn't that hard, it was stinky though. The reason it wasn't that hard was because the Pegasuses stayed well away from him. That kind of sucked though. He would have liked to pet the Pegasuses.

Thursday he went out picking strawberries.

Friday, Percy had to polish armor which wouldn't be so bad, just tedious. He had a feeling that the campers would purposely made their armor worse on the days he had that chore.

11:00 – 12:00 on Monday he had Archery, but he wasn't any good at it. Chiron didn't complain even when he had to remove an arrow from his tail. Will tried to help him get better, but the Apollo cabin quickly learned to dunk when they see Percy with a bow in hand.

Javelin throwing was on Tuesday which Percy was actually good at as long as he pretended the dummy was someone he really didn't like, and sometimes he may aim for a person passing behind the dummy, but he never hit them. Came close though.

Sword skills were on Wednesday, and everything about that class left Percy sweaty and soar. There were times he wanted to skip, but that always led to a lecture from his guardian. Something about needing the skill to survive. Percy tried his best to block him out, but that was kind of hard when the voice was coming from inside your head.

Thursday was Monster assault techniques. It was really cool. They used animatronic monsters built by the Hephaestus cabin, and fought against them using real weapons. Sometimes there was a misshape, and a lot of grease messed the place up, and then the Hephaestus cabin had to do repairs. The mess was cleaned up be the cabin that made it; Luke always made the ones who skip clean up. At least that's what Luke told him. (Warned him. Percy knew he did not want to skip any lessons.)

On Friday, he had Pegasus riding.

12:00 – 12:30 he had Greek Mythology. Which to be honest bored him. He already know the legends, but it payed to pay attention. Annabeth like to spring random questions on the students about the subject Chiron was teaching. Which from time to time led to a deeper conversation, and one thing Percy knew about Annabeth was that she love to feel like she was smarter then others. So he let her explain thing he already knew, and then together they would expand on it.

12:30 - 3:30 was lunch. Percy's favorite lunch to have was a turkey sandwich, and a chocolate milkshake. He tend to stay away from vegetables which doesn't always work. Somehow they always ended up on his plate anyway. As for offerings, he made sure to offer something to Mr.D, Hermes, Apollo (he did help him even if it went wrong), his godmother, and his guardian. There were times when he offered up thanks to Athena, Apollo, and other gods for their children. Each time he did that, even when he whispered it so quietly that no demigod could hear him, the demigods would act weird around him. They'd start to blush, and try to act nicer, but because it was forced it never worked out well.

13:30 – 15:30 is weapon-making on Monday with the Hephaestus cabin. It's hard work, but doable. Strangely enough a pile of metal keeps appearing in the very back of the supplies closet. The metal was cold and it was dark, darker than the shadows that surround it. Percy was told that no one used that metal because it was so cold it burned. Most of the time it was hidden within shadows, but Percy could always see it. He never used it. Even though it called to him.

Tuesday was Ride the rapids. Chiron would talk to the naiads, and then they would swirl up the water rapidly in the river that lead to the lake. Before long the river was roaring, and the raft was pulled out and blown up. Percy loved riding the rapids. It appealed to his adrenalin junky side. Each time he made it to the Lake with his team without tipping over; he would give a whoop in celebration making the others laugh at him. Percy like to think they were laughing with him, and maybe the campers were getting use to him.

Wednesday was Tracking skills which Percy wasn't that bad at it. He could sight the tracks in the darkest of shadows, but he had trouble telling the difference between one foot print from another. He could tell if it was a bird, a monster (most of the time), a snake, and a mammal. Beyond that he had no clue.

Thursday was Wrestling with Clarisse as the teacher.

Friday they have Volleyball. Luke explained to him that most of the time it was campers versus Satyrs. There was a few times when it was one cabin against another, but those got bloody real quick. As Luke said it's only cheating if you get caught. So there was a lot of sabotage, but Mr. D (when he could be bother to referee) stopped them from being too violent.

15:30 – 17:00 on Monday Percy would write letters to home. He found that some of the demigods wrote to Chiron or their godly parent. He talked to Will one day about the letters, and Will admitted that he wrote to Apollo, but he didn't plane to let him see it. Percy didn't think it mattered because as soon as Will laid it down behind him it disappeared. Percy wrote down everything that's happen lately to his mom. He never sent them though because he was sure that Smelly Gabe would burn them.

Tuesday at the same time was Cabin clean-up. Which wasn't hard. Each child in the Hermes cabin cleaned their own space, and though a few fights broke out, Percy had no trouble. None of his stuff was messed with, and no one accused him of stealing something of theirs (at least not yet). By the time clean-up was over the cabin was spotless for about five minutes, and then it was right back to it's chaotic state.

Wednesday was Laundry hour. There tended to be a bit of a stampede, and a lot of shoving and pushing. That was one of the times that people avoiding him came in handy. The campers tended to part when he walk by with a hamper. Luke would take advantage of this by walking right behind Percy. Then he would get free use after Percy used a washer and drier because the other campers tended to avoid what he used like the plague. Percy was disheartened by this level of avoidance, and it didn't change even though doing so caused more mayhem. He was also disturbed by Luke's increasing clingy ways; he wasn't use to people wanting to be around him, and he could never shake the feeling that he was being used. Oh, well as long as his friend was happy! (If he really is a friend.)

Thursday at the same time was Wood-chopping.

Friday was Firework-making. Chiron explained that during this time powder was stuffed down tubes, and he or the eldest campers took care of any special bits. Of course fire was not allowed within the Fire-work making tent, and everything was fire proof.

17:00 – 18:00 all week was Free Time. Percy mostly spent it reading to have more to talk about with Annabeth. Wondering around, and enjoying nature. There is a couple of times he foot races with Nymphs, and he loses miserably. Every time.

18:00-19:00 was Dinner all week. Percy did the same thing he did at lunch. Say what he wanted, usually a stake with honey buttered rolls, give an offering, once he tried to give grapes but it didn't end well (the grapes never appeared; Mr. D looked suspicious). Then he sat next to Luke, the only one willing to sit next to him. The good thing was he had plenty of space, the bad thing is some of the campers were getting testy about sitting on the floor.

19:00 – 21:00 on Monday was the Volleyball league, bloodless because of close scrutiny. Percy was never chosen to play, but he had fun cheering on his cabin and the cabins of his friends. He would have even more fun if someone would sit next to him though.

Tuesday was Unarmed combat. Percy wasn't took bad at it. Turned out Clarisse's lessons were coming in handy; though he had to learn how to be quicker. He still lost, and most of the time his opponent took great joy in pushing boundaries. More than one was called out because they went against the rules trying to hurt him. Part of Percy wanted to believe it was all in good fun, but most of him was starting to realize that they were really trying to hurt him.

Archery Knockout was another contest held on Wednesday. Will usually won much to Percy's delight. It was strange Will always blushed and avoided eye contact while giving a slight wave when Percy cheered him on. If Will didn't win it was almost always someone from his cabin.

On Thursday at the same time is the Trials of strength contest. The Ares cabin usually won this according to everyone and common sense. Mostly Clarisse or her brother Alexander. He may not like fighting, but he was really good with showing off his strength. Their sister Lily was more apt for quick combat using speed to take down her opponents, and she had a surprising amount of strength. Percy shared Luke's suspicion that the reason she never participated in the Trials of strength contest was because she wanted people to underestimate her.

Usually, Luke told Percy, they had Capture the Flag on Fridays. Though Luke never let on that he was bothered that the big game was canceled; Percy still felt guilty. Luke and Chiron told Percy that the schedule was subjected to change, but that didn't changed how he felt.

Thursday morning, three days after Percy arrived at camp, he woke up at 8:00 like normal. He said thank you once more to Hades for allowing him to sleep in his corner, and then looked at his written schedule that Chiron had given him. After that he got up, and met with Luke to go to breakfast.

There he decided on breakfast giving his traditional offerings to Hermes, his guardian, his godmother, and Athena for various reasons. Each got a chocolate chip waffle; Hermes for letting him stay in his cabin, his guardian and his godmother for looking out for him, and Athena for Annabeth. By now he had a designated seat among the Hermes cabin. The only one staying near him being Luke, and those unlucky enough to arrive last; though they tend to sit somewhere else or on the floor. Percy tried to not be depressed by that, and soon after he went to his Ancient Greek class.

Percy hoped it was Annabeth teaching him today, and if he was going to be honest that was the reason why he offered something to Athena. As mentioned before the demigods tended to act weird around him when he did that even when they weren't around to hear him. Today was no different.

"Hey, Percy." Annabeth said in front of her cabin shifting on her feet.

"Hey, Annabeth!" Percy chirped ignoring the glares from her brothers and sisters as they passed by them.

"Ummm, I was thinking we can have our lesson by the lake." Annabeth told him as she walked away holding a big book in front of her.

"Okay!" Percy said excited he walked beside her a skip to his step; his eye bright and shinning in the morning sun. "So how's you day, been so far?"

"Good." Annabeth answered him smiling awkwardly. She didn't tell him that her godly parent had sent her an owl demanding that she be kind to Percy, so that Athena could get more offerings. It made her feel dirty as if she was using Percy.

"That's good." Percy said nodding his head. He felt weird now because he made Annabeth be strange around him by offering a waffle to Athena.

"Okay, so what should we learn today?" Annabeth wondered as she sat down beside the lake; she heard more then felt Percy plop down beside her, but she avoided eye contact.

Percy shrugged though Annabeth didn't see him. They had been learning about what the gods have been doing lately, which wasn't that different from the past. Then they would usually stray off topic making theories about where the gods were going to go next, or what they were going to do next. This whole class was basically a giant gossiping session.

"Maybe we should learn about offerings." Annabeth offered; a plan boiling within her mind. Maybe if she impresses upon him what he was doing to the gods, and making the demigods suffer in a way, he would stop. Not that being around Percy caused her to suffer, but it kind of did, it irked Annabeth to be forced to be around him.

"Okay." Percy nodded moving closer to look at the book as Annabeth flipped through it.

"Offerings are very important to the gods. They gain power from offerings and from the belief people have within them. Our modern society have many references to the Greek Gods, and though this is enough to supply some of their power, most of their power comes from demigods. Since the dawn of the Greek Empire, and the rise of the Olympians, demigods have offered prayers up to their parents." Annabeth read off the paper.

"Yeah, I guess it's kind of hard not to believe in you're parent. At least to not believe that they exist." Percy said leaning close to Annabeth's warmth. He craved contact.

Annabeth felt her skin crawl, and before she could ignore it, before she could close a lid on her body's instinctive reaction, she was edging away. A quick glance at Percy showed pain within his emerald eyes as he moved away. Guilt ate at her as the distance between them grew. She didn't mean to hurt him, but she couldn't help how she felt.

"To do so would to be deny you're own existence." Annabeth answered hunching over the book even more. She couldn't do anything to help Percy. Maybe over time she would stop feeling this way, and they could be true friends.

"Anyway, the more offerings the Greek gods get the more powerful they are. Though Zeus and Hera automatically get a percent of any offerings because their the King and Queen of the gods. That's why mostly it's only the children that give offerings to their godly parent." Annabeth said.

"Why?" Percy asked interested.

"Why, what dummy?" Annabeth teased trying to lighten the mood. She was hoping that if she acted like normal then Percy would come closer, and this time she would control herself.

Percy pushed down on the pain her teasing caused him. He wasn't in the mood to be teased, but he smiled anyways. He didn't want her to feel bad, or to go running off. "Why does it matter if other demigods give offerings to gods that are not their parents?"

"The gods are..." Annabeth trailed off trying to find the right words, without offending any gods that might be listening. "Well, their greedy Percy. If you offer something to one who is not you're parent. Then they'll want more, and do whatever they can to gain more offerings, so that they can gain an edge over the rest of the family."

Something about that didn't sit right with Percy, but he ignored it for now. "But how much of an edge do they really get? It can't be that much if they have to keep begging for it."

Annabeth flinched as thunder was heard, but there wasn't a cloud in sight. Percy looked up at the sky, and called up.

"Sorry!"

"Well, enough for it to matter, I suppose." Annabeth flipping through the book trying to find an answer. Really, a magically updating book was only helpful if it gave answers.

"What about Poseidon and Hades?" Percy asked a thought occurring to him.

"What about them?" Annabeth asked distracted.

"Do they get a portion of all offerings like Zeus and Hera, or do they only get offerings from their children?"

"I don't really, know." Annabeth said slowly thinking about it. "I would assume that they do being kings of their own realm."

"But they can't be the only kings of a realm, so maybe they get a portion because their the most powerful?" Percy offered up. This was one of his favorite parts, when they get off track slightly, and began to discuss the subject rather than Annabeth just lecturing him.

"Maybe..." Annabeth's face brightened with a smile. "I'll just have to ask Chiron."

She looked up to the sky noting the position of the sun. "Percy, it's time for me to go. I'm sorry to cut this a bit early, but I promised some of my younger siblings I would help them with weaving."

"It's fine, but you should really invest in a watch if you stare at the sun any longer you could go blind." Percy said in fake concern.

Annabeth laughed. "I had a watch until someone's clumsy feet smash it."

"I'm not the one who took it off during sword practice. Honestly I just went down to the arena to watch, and all the sudden, crunch! Who takes off their watch during sword practice anyway?" Percy teased.

"A person who doesn't want their watch to be crushed." Annabeth fired back lightly pushing Percy's shoulder. "Anyway, I have to go dummy."

"You do know it's insulting when you call me dummy, right?" Percy called to her as she walked away.

"You're right," Annabeth called back. "I should apologize to the practice dummies!"

Percy shook his head smiling fondly. "Wise girl." He muttered to himself as he turned away from the lake.

He reached into his pocket and took out his schedule. Picking Strawberries. That seemed like fun, maybe he could sneak a few, or take a nap before it gets too hot. The smell of strawberries baking in the sun can cause sweet dreams. He stuffed the schedule back into his pocket, and began to walk toward the strawberry patch. He would be a bit early, but that wasn't a big deal.

As he walked he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong. He felt fragile inside, on the verge of breaking. There was something about his lesson with Annabeth that bothered him. Was it the way she acted?

...No. She had acted the way she always did. Filled with answers, filled with a teasing spirit, and an aversion to his presence. Well, to be fair she may not be completely against his presence. There must be some part of her that likes him, or else she wouldn't tease him. So it had to be something else...

Percy entered the strawberry fields. He took a deep breath tasting tartness in the air. There was ladybugs flying in single filed lines in and out of the patch. The patch itself compared to the rest of the camp wasn't very big, but it was big enough for demigods to hide in for various reasons. The two most popular reasons were to take naps and to kiss partners.

Percy smiled lightly thinking of the times Mr. D caught a few unlucky souls kissing in his strawberry fields. Those demigods who were caught sleeping got it easy. A rude awakening, and a sharp lecture about not drooling on his fruit. Those that were caught sleeping where sent to work making strawberry jams usually reserved for...Well, Percy didn't know who usually made the jams just that it wasn't demigods. Percy's smile grew when he heard a roar come from near by in a familiar voice.

"Get out! What do you think you're doing?! Spreading you're germs over my clean fields. No one wants to see you lot go at it like rabbits!" Mr. D's voice echoed across the field.

"But Mr. D we were just kissing!" A, rather stupid in Percy's opinion, demigod protested.

"I don't care! I don't need any more brats running around here! Defiantly not brats of brats! Get out of here! You're cleaning the stables for a week, and no desert! I'd do more if Chiron wouldn't have a fit!" Mr. D snapped at the demigods.

Percy heard the rushing feet of demigods fleeing. He saw brief glimpses of them, and saw Mr. D's tiger striped back. He heard him grumbling as he picked more berries a sun hat covering his head.

"Stupid brats...Too young to be doing that kind of stuff...Just babies themselves." Were some of the words that Percy heard him mutter.

Percy shook his head smiling heading for the end of the row where the baskets were. He was going to have to find a good one. Hopefully one without holes. Thankfully, the Naiads weaved new baskets made from strong reeds just yesterday.

He picked up the basket and began to pick strawberries. He was doing quite well, and because it was work that didn't necessary need mental power; he was free to think over his conversation with Annabeth. It wasn't in the way she acted the bugged him; though it did bother him. So it must have been something she said...Something he wasn't sure he wanted to remember.

_'Let's see...we talked about offerings to the gods. The big three, most likely, get a share of every offering. Offerings are given by demigods to their parent, who grows more powerful with every offering, and they gain an edge over the other gods.' _Percy thought to himself.

Percy was reaching for another strawberry when he froze. His heart dropped. His stomach rolled, and he felt like he was about to be sick as Annabeth's voice dripped into his mind like poison. _'"Well, their greedy Percy. If you offer something to one who is not you're parent. Then they'll want more, and do whatever they can to gain more offerings, so that they can gain an edge over the rest of the family."'_

_'Do what ever they can...'_ Percy's fingers went numb as the half filled basket of strawberries fell from his hand. _'What ever they can to gain more offerings.'_

Percy felt himself collapse. He couldn't breath. There was so much pain. His stomach was tight, and he felt like he was going to be sick. But he couldn't be sick, because the knife in his chest would stop the vomit from ever coming up. It felt like he was being pressed down upon from all sides. An invisible force was crushing the life out of him.

Percy stared up at the sky, not truly seeing it. He couldn't hear anything around him. He couldn't feel the breeze, or the earth under him. Mutely he could hear his guardian screaming for him to calm down in the back of his mind, but there was no point in listening to him. Besides he was easily crowded out by Percy's own thoughts.

_'Maybe it would be better if I died...' _Percy thought of images of swords, rivers, fire, and other dangerous things danced within his mind.

It seemed to go on forever. There was nothing, but pain and dark thoughts. When suddenly a voice broke through his panic. A voice that echoed within and without his head.

"Percy Jackson! You snap out of it right now!" Mr. D's voice pierced sharply though his mind, and echoed loudly within Percy's ears.

Percy blinked. The blue sky registered within his mind. His breathing eased. He still hurt, but less, and he wasn't thinking dark thoughts anymore. The breeze was cool against his skin, and the strawberry patch smelt pleasantly tart.

"Are you alright, now?" Mr. D asked peering down at Percy.

Percy looked up at him. He thought he saw concern within Mr. D's purple eyes, but how could he be sure? Percy moved to rise only to find he couldn't move. A brief moment of panic took him over as he looked down at his body. Vines were wrapped around him holding him down. Mostly it was his arms being held down. Percy looked up at Mr. D once more. Who stared into his eyes for a moment before nodding. Then the vines, grape vines Percy realized, slithered back into the ground taking the smell of grapes with it.

"I had too." Mr. D said softly as Percy sat up.

Percy looked at his arms noticing a stinging sensation. Crescent moons sunk deep within pale skin. He had been digging his nails into his arms; Mr. D must have saw fit to restrain him. Percy looked at his hands; they were clinched shut. Slowly, painfully, Percy uncurled his hands. There were red crescents on his palms from where his nails had been digging.

"When I stopped you from digging you're nails into you're arms you started to dig them into you're palms, and I couldn't stop you. When a person is in that kind of distress it's best to do what one can to calm them." Mr. D said in a medical, soothing, voice.

Percy wondered if Mr. D thought he was going to snap as he asked. "Why did you tie me down?"

"Peter Johnson," Mr. D began. Percy's smile was brittle prompted by Mr. D's insistence in getting his name wrong. "I've seen humans and gods go mad for many reasons. Anger, grief, loneliness, and because of time I had to often fix the minds of my family. When in that state, it is best to restrain that being before they do damage to themselves or others."

"Are you immune to madness?" Percy asked distractedly eying his palms. Really, he wasn't even sure if this was happening, but it was nice to hear Mr. D's voice.

"I'm the maddest of all." Mr. D said frankly as he sat down beside Percy. "What made you fall?"

What made you break? Was the real question that hummed in the air between Greek God and demigod.

"I had a class with Annabeth." Percy carefully said; he was afraid that he was going to have trouble talking, but when he started it poured out along with a few more tears. Funny, he thought he was washed out by now. "She was teaching me about offerings, and she said gods would do anything for more. That their greedy."

"So like demigods to think the worst of us." Mr. D mumbled to himself keeping an eye on Percy as he slowly turned to face the Greek God.

"So I started to think." Percy said shaking his head.

"Well that's never good." Mr. D quipped. He really didn't sign up for this stuff, guess that's why they call it punishment.

"When I give offerings to the other gods their children act strange around me. They don't want to be around me, but they force themselves...I think that's why Annabeth's been so nice to me." Percy's breath hitched as he said. "I've been giving Athena offerings in thanks for Annabeth because she's a good teacher, and I thought she was my friend."

"It's not to late." Mr. D said softly. He, himself, was seeing someone other then Percy. A young man with black hair and unusual purple eyes who's only comfort was making wine.

Percy's emerald eyes widened dark emotions making them glow. Sadness, fear, hurt, and anger burned though Mr. D as Percy turned wounded eyes toward him. The desperation, borderline madness, echoed clearly though Percy's voice as he asked.

"You aren't only nice to me because I give you offerings are you?"

Mr. D stared at Percy. He knew this desperation. He's felt it more then once, and he's seen this temporary madness prey on more then a few. Good thing he knew what to say.

"Peter Johnson, I want wine, not you're shabby offerings. Who wants cookies for breakfast?" Mr. D griped as he slowly stood up.

Percy stared at him in shock as he placed a strawberry in his hands. They stared at each other for a moment, until Percy switched his stare to the strawberry. Percy was shocked; Mr. D never gave away his strawberries. Dionysus tired of seeing Percy stare at the fruit said.

"Well, are you going to eat it or just stare at it?"

Percy jumped clasping his hands around the strawberry so that it didn't fall to the ground. Percy looked up to frustrated purple eyes, and then took a bite. It was one of the sweetest strawberries he had ever tasted. The flavor burst on his tongue making him smile.

Mr. D shifted feeling uncomfortable at Percy's happiness being aimed at him. He was use to drunk people, and party animals being happy to see him, not demigods. Though he was far more likely to help demigods then some of his other siblings; besides Hermes but being the god of travelers that was to be expected.

"Don't get too excited brat. That's the only strawberry that you get, if I catch you sneaking any I'm eating you're desert." Mr. D threatened as he picked up his basket full of strawberries.

Percy felt a smile tug at his lips, for some reason having Mr. D listen and give him a strawberry made him feel really good. As he picked up his own basket, the fallen strawberries already taken away by bugs to the Nymphs who always appreciated some, he said.

"I don't know Mr. D, if it's strawberry cheese cake. I'll have to fight you."

Mr. D snorted. "Then you will lose."

The was sound of fingers snapping, and then the weight of Percy's basket was gone. It was light to begin with, but the fact that Percy's hand closed in on itself was a good sign that Percy's basket was gone. Percy glanced down at his empty hand, but had to turn his attention up as a full basket of strawberries was pushed into his hand.

"Take that over there." Mr. D said waving his hand toward the far end of the strawberry fields. "I'm going to go take a nap."

Then he was a gone, and Percy didn't get the chance to say anything. He looked down at his new burden, shrugged, and started to make his way. He passed some Satyrs playing their pips, word had it that Grover was forbidden from playing anything on the pips, making ladybugs flow in and out of the rows. Percy passed by some other campers, but paid them no mind until he stumbled literally on one of the Dionysus brothers.

"Why did you step on me?" Castor demanded as he sat up.

"I didn't know that you where there!" Percy protested as he straightens up from almost falling on his face. He looked at the basket fretfully luckily none of the strawberries was dropped.

"What are you doing down there?" Percy asked.

"Napping." Castor said. "What else would we be doing?"

Percy watched as Pollux rose up from the strawberry bushes like the dead out of a grave.

_ 'Well, like father like son.' _Percy though amused as Pollux blinked dazed in the afternoon sun.

"What's going on?" Pollux asked his brother.

"This guy," Castor pointed his thumb at Percy. "decided to trip over me, and wake me up."

Pollux looked up at Percy, and blinked. "Oh, hey."

"Hi." Percy said raising his hand.

There was a silence as they all look at each other then Percy raised his hand holding the basket.

"I have to take this." He pointed to the direction he was going. "Over there."

"Okay." Pollux said lying back down.

Percy left the wine brothers. He breathed deep the sent of strawberries, and felt relief that neither of the brothers had shown open detest for him. The sun was hot on his head, and the basket was heavy. His arm started to ache for he was not use to such activities.

It wasn't long before Percy saw a stand with one demigod, sweating under the sun, manning it. Beside and behind the demigod was baskets upon baskets of strawberries. Above the demigod's head was a sign that said, **Strawberry Contest. **

Percy carried the basket, which was growing heavier and heavier, over to the stand. The sweltering demigod gave him an evil look. Percy hefted the basket over flowing with strawberries onto the stand. The demigod moved the basket onto a scale ,weighing the basket, that's when Percy noticed something weird. A strawberry fell off the side, and then before it could hit the ground it disappeared. Percy looked up at the basket to see it was back in place except there was another one there too growing off a vine on the side of the basket where the other strawberry had fallen. Percy's eyes widened; it seemed that Mr. D had put an enchantment or something over the basket, so that each time a strawberry fell it would be placed back in the basket and another one would grow from the wood of the basket.

_'How did I not end up with just a basket of vines?' _Percy thought to himself. Along with, _'No wonder it was so heavy.' _

The demigod glowered at Percy as he said, "Congratulations, you've won the contest."

"Contest? What contest?" Percy asked feeling bewildered.

"Chiron suggested to Mr. D that there should be a small contest held over who could pick the most. You've won, congrats." The demigod said the congratulations sarcastically.

Percy felt himself shrink into himself. He looked at the demigod with sorrowful eyes. The demigod turned their eyes away and shoved a chocolate bar toward Percy.

"Here's your reward, winner." The demigod sneered still not meeting Percy's eyes.

Percy meekly took his chocolate bar. He had a feeling that the demigod thought he was a cheater or something. Usually he would have puffed up, and fought tooth and nail over the unsaid accusation, but lately he had found that it is sometimes better to keep his head low.

He walked away feeling the burn of hateful eyes upon his back. He stared down at the chocolate bar, it was a king size, and debated upon opening it when he saw Castor and Pollux standing among a different group of strawberry.

_'I guess they gave up on sleeping.' _Percy thought. He glanced at the chocolate bar and then at the brothers.

_'Maybe I could share this with them.' _Percy thought, and then sped up his walk toward the brothers.

Mind made up, Percy called out. "Hey, Castor, Pollux. What are you doing?"

The brothers turned to look at him Castor placing a strawberry in his mouth. Percy briefly wondered if those two would get in trouble for sneaking strawberries. On one hand, no one was suppose to eat the strawberries. On the other hand, it was in their genes to eat the strawberries.

"Hey, Percy." Pollux greeted while Castor just grunted.

Percy smiled at the two, ignoring that they drew back slightly as he came closer, and asked. "What are you guys doing here? Is it you're turn to pick strawberries?"

"We're eating." Castor said picking another strawberry. Percy really hoped Mr. D didn't find out, and if he did, that Percy wouldn't get blamed.

"No, it's not our turn. To tell the truth we're not even suppose to be here." Pollux said. "But we heard that there was a contest in strawberry picking, so we skipped sword practice and came here. Then we saw dad, and we figured out that he was entering in the contest too, so we decided to back out and take a nap."

"Oh well," Percy said holding up the chocolate bar. "I won the contest, and I was wondering if you guys wanted to share the prize with me."

Percy winced on the inside at how awkward he sounded by the end. Pollux and Castor didn't seem bothered by it. They looked at each other, and nodded once before sitting down. After all who could deny free chocolate.

Percy joined them on the ground the strawberries plants hiding them from view. Percy opened the chocolate (stuffing the wrapping into his pocket), all three taking a moment to enjoy the bitter-sweet smell, before Percy began to break the bar into thirds.

"You must be one lucky demigod to out pick our dad." Castor said taking a bite of his part.

"Yeah, lucky." Percy said smiling uneasily as he bit into his own part.

"How did you do it?" Pollux asked as Castor narrowed his eyes at Percy.

Percy swallowed the last of his chocolate as he said. "Mr. D shoved his basket of strawberries into my arms, and said he was going to take a nap."

There was silence as the two brother's finished their part of the bar. Percy stayed hoping that they would talk to him. Things didn't go as nicely as Percy had hoped.

Castor sucked the last of the chocolate off of his fingers before asking. "Why does our dad like you so much?"

"I-I don't know." Percy said taken aback by Castor's question. Before he could think of his answer Castor was demanding something from him.

"Well, stop it. He's our dad, not yours." With that Castor stood up and stormed away.

Percy gaped at the back of the son of Dionysus as Pollux called out. "Castor! That was uncalled for!"

Pollux sighed before turning towards Percy. The shock and hurt look on Percy's face was understandable. Pollux felt bad for Percy, he didn't deserve that.

"I'm sorry about that, Percy." He said scratching the back of his head. He felt ashamed of his brother.

"It's just..." Pollux trailed off shrugging and then rolling his shoulders comfortable. "Dad treats you differently then the other demigods...He treats you differently from us."

"I don't think he treats me differently." Percy said shaking his head. Pollux gave him a incredulous look.

"Just hear me out." Percy began seeing Pollux's look. "He showed me around camp to make sure I wouldn't die. I mean it would look bad if a demigod died on his watch, right?"

Pollux nodded developing a thoughtful look. After all the Greek Gods were known to look out for themselves first and foremost.

"Then the whole strawberry contest. I was just in the right place at the right time. He got tired and shoved the basket to me." Percy neglected to talk about his panic attack. For one thing he didn't want anyone else to know about it, for another Mr. D was probably just making sure his ass didn't end up fried because a demigod under his watch went mad. No matter how nice someone was, Percy learned, they were ultimately looking out for themselves.

"Be that as it may." Pollux relented. "It is kind of annoying that you spend more time with our dad then we do."

Percy licked his lips and looked at Pollux. He could not believe this blond haired and violet eyed boy. He and his brother were being given a golden opportunity, and they were squandering it.

"Look," Percy said forcefully. He had to get his point across. "You and your brother have been given a chance that most demigods would kill for. Your dad is in the same vicinity as you, and you know he is. You have a chance to spend time with him, and what he's not showing you special attention, so you lash out at me?"

Percy knew that by saying 'you' instead of 'Castor' he was being slightly unfair to Pollux, but it was getting his point across. Besides Percy was certain, as he watched Pollux flinch, that Pollux was not always so nice to Percy in thought or otherwise.

"Instead of being mad that he tries to protect himself by making sure I don't die, spend time with him. Reach out." Percy said.

"Don't you think we tried!" Pollux said exasperated.

It hurt. It hurt that his dad wouldn't spend time with them, not willingly. When they first got here they were ecstatic that their dad, the father that they only heard about, was near enough to touch. They would be able to talk to him. Ask him why did he love mom, what was his favorite things, and why did he leave. All those hopes were tossed down the drain.

The first couple of times Dionysus had tolerated them. He was gruff, but didn't outright ask them to leave. Then he started to avoid them. First he avoided looking at them, then he started to avoid their question, until each time he caught sight of them he would find an excuse to leave. The boys tried to not take it too hard, after all Dionysus didn't spend time with any demigod, and then Percy Jackson came along. To see their dad spend time with a no claim, no name, loser was a kick in the teeth.

To tell the truth Pollux was a bit disappointed in how his father had turned out. All his life he had heard from his mom, a biased source no doubt, that his father was a wonderful man. She spoke of how he was fun to be around. Funny, smart, charismatic, and the life of the party. Of how his father was sweet, caring, and kind when they were alone. So romantic, she would sigh as the twins gagged behind her, but despite the gooey things they always loved hearing about their father. However, Pollux has learned that the dream is usually better then the reality. Instead of a wonderful person. They got a fat, red eyes, grouchy, winy as a little kid, man-child who couldn't stay away from a piece of tail, and then complained when he got punished for doing something he wasn't suppose to.

A man who avoided them, who smelled of wine, who cared for those under his protection despite his prickly disposition. A Greek God who couldn't seem to stay awake for more then a few hours and was overly fond of games. A person Pollux desperately wanted to know, but he could never reach.

"We tried." Pollux mumbled trying to deny that his eyes were moist or that his voice was thick.

"Well then try harder." Percy pushed.

Pollux rolled his eyes, and couldn't stop his scoff. It was clear that Percy didn't understand. How could he?

"Don't let him avoid you." Percy insisted. "When he walks around, follow him. If he's playing a game with Chiron, play too. When he pick strawberries, pick some near him."

"And what, when he takes a nap sneak in and take one with him?" Pollux said bitingly. He usually wasn't like this, but Percy was being frustrating.

"I told you to spend time with him, not stalk him, or be a creeper." Percy said incredulously.

Pollux opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find anything else to say. Instead he closed his mouth, nodded, and said.

"Okay, I'll try. We'll try."

With that there was nothing left to say. Percy and Pollux went separate ways. Pollux after his brother, and Percy out of the fields to go to monster assault techniques. He walked past the armory and the forge doing his best to ignore the glares from people who decided to notice him. Luckily no one tried to throw anything at him this time. He made it to the arena in plenty of time.

Percy walked up to one of the wooden benches and sat down. There was no sword practice on this day at this hour,(Percy was a little early), instead the Hephaestus cabin would be setting up monsters for today's assault techniques. As long as Percy didn't say anything the Hephaestus cabin will ignore him except for a few curious and/or dirty looks.

The leader of the Hephaestus cabin, Charles Beckendorf, walked into the sand pit set to the side for assault techniques. He walked to the middle and pointed to a spot calling to one of his siblings.

"Place it here!"

Charles noticed Percy sitting to the side, and made his way toward him. He hesitated briefly when he saw Percy tense up, but pushed on. Charles sat down beside Percy, noticing how he inched away from him and if he was completely honest the extra space wasn't unwanted, staring at his hands. There was silence between them as the sound of his brothers and sisters giving instructions, read -fighting-, filled the air.

"So..." Charles began rubbing at his nose. "How are you?"

"Good." Percy said looking at Charles studying him.

From the interactions he saw Charles was a kind, if not gruff, young man. He tend to speak honestly, and could be trusted. Percy recalled hearing many a girl giggling over how handsome Charles was looking at him Percy could find it within himself to agree. With dark curly hair and even darker eyes that shinned with an inner light he did seem appealing, if nothing else a great friend to be around. If a little awkward when trying to talk to someone he doesn't know, or maybe that's just because it's Percy.

"Good, good." Charles agreed.

There was silence between them. Charles sniffed loudly just wanting something to break the silence; he was not good with talking, but he wasn't good with complete silence either. He shifted uncomfortable on the bench, maybe they needed new benches he wondered. He could offer to make some though Chiron would probably say no what with the bathroom being rebuilt in all their free time.

Percy heard Charles sigh, and opened his mouth to say something only to have his breath stolen from him. It wasn't real he knew, but the way it moved and sounded made the hairs on his arms rise. Adrenalin filled his vines as it came closer and closer only when it stopped in the middle of the sand pit did Percy find his voice.

"Wow," Percy breathed. "That...that's amazing."

"It is. Isn't." Charles said pride coloring his voice.

It was a Scythian Dracaenae. An automaton to help train demigods to fight the real thing. However, no one ever said how life like they were. Made from steel it shinned in the sunlight. Each scale was meticulous made on the two tails that replaced where legs on a normal woman was. Sharp blades made up the ends of the tails flaring out like a fan. The upper half was plated with armor to cover the automaton's womanly parts, or so Percy assumed after all this was a cabin of hormonal teenagers, or even worse it was a cabin of teenagers bent on getting these automatons in being as life like as possible. The Scythian Dracaenae carried with it a shield and a Trident like weapon, which to Percy looked like the Batman symbol just squished.

"The Hephaestus cabin takes great pride in their automatons." Charles boasted. "The attention to detail is at it's best before it is even aloud to leave the cabin. A set of older campers, who have either intently studied what each monster looks like through a book or have actually seen them, looks over the automatons and if one thing is off then it is fixed."

"I can see that." Percy praised. "It's a stunning work of art."

"Heh, yeah." Charles said smiling. He looked at Percy in a considering way.

"Most people don't see what we do as art." He said.

Percy blinked and explained. "Oh, well I always believed that if you put enough of you're heart and soul in something it can transform into art because of that."

"The beauty comes from the work." Charles nodded.

Charles smiled and held out his hand. "Charles Beckendorf. Call me Charlie."

"Percy Jackson. Call me Percy." Percy jested as he took hold of Charlie's hand. It was ruff, warm, and engulfed the hand of Percy. A shiver went through the both of them. Percy because Charlie's hand was comfortably warm like a blanket, and Charlie because Percy's had was ice cold.

"So how is the bathroom going?" Percy asked. A part of him winced. Of all the things to being up.

"Great!" Charlie gushed. "The Ares cabin are great workers, and the plans we built for it will make things even better. We've taken input from all of the cabins."

"Really?" Percy asked surprised. "So no one's really mad about having to use the big house's bathrooms?"

"Well, some of the Ares cabin is disgruntled and it's hard work." Charlie admitted. "But once it's done all discomfort will be worth it. Really I think this is the best thing that could happen."

"Why?" Percy questioned. Hope blossomed in his heart maybe the Ares cabin wouldn't completely hate him.

"Did you see that place before it blew up?" Charlie snorted. "I'm surprise it didn't fall down sooner. No. It's a blessing that we can rebuild it in the way we want."

_'A blessing.' _Percy thought to himself. He felt light. Maybe he messed up, hopefully something good would come from it though.

"Well if you need anymore help, I'm glade to give a hand." Percy offered.

"That would be great thanks." Charlie said. He couldn't help but think that maybe all those rumors about Percy Jackson were lies, not that he believed them in the first place. The one that said he sacrificed his mom to Thanatos to avoid death was a bit of a stretch, and it got worse because some demigods believed that he will sacrifice others to keep avoiding death.

Charlie looked up to see a shinning blonde head coming toward them. He rubbed his hands on his jeans before he stood up.

"I guess I better go. Lesson will be starting soon, and bathrooms wait for no man." Charlie said before wishing Percy a good day, and leaving.

Luke studied Charlie as he left, but he soon stopped in favor of smiling at Percy. He sat down beside him, and watched his cabin mates trickle into the arena.

"Hey, ready for you're first lesson?" Luke asked his smile relaxed and joyful.

Percy felt himself relaxed as he said. "Yeah, the Hephaestus cabin did a real great job on the monster."

"They always do." Luke said warmly looking at the automaton.

"Hey, Percy." Luke said softly gaining the younger boy's attention.

"What were you and Charlie talking about?" Luke questioned his smile turning sharp, and his voice tinged with possessiveness.

Luke told himself that the only reason he wanted to know was to make sure Percy wasn't being strayed from his influence, but if he was being honest it was because he was fond of him. Luke didn't want to see Percy hurt, and he didn't want to see him relying on anyone else. After all it is easier to convince a sheep to slaughter when it is away from the flock.

"We talked about the automaton and the bathroom renovations." Percy said taken aback again by Luke's sudden sharpness.

"How are they going?" Luke asked feeling himself relax. Percy and Charlie wouldn't grow close; Charlie wasn't a people person.

"Good." Percy said feeling himself relax again now that Luke had calmed down. "I've offered to help out."

"Percy," Luke groaned making Percy jump. "Haven't I taught you anything? Don't offer to do more work then you have to."

Percy smiled at Luke and playfully nudged him with his shoulder sending a jolt though Luke. This was a new development. Percy was initiating contact usually he shied away. He was a step closer; he could do this. He could sway Percy to his side.

Luke looked up to see most of the Hermes cabin walking around. He hummed quickly counting heads. More then half...That was better then usual. Well he wouldn't have to send out search parties to gather more students; he could work with this many, and any that missed would have a nasty surprise waiting for them for weeks to come. He's just have to convince the Hephaestus cabin to let him borrow the creature of the day, and if they said no...well he can live up to his father's name.

"Gather round boys, girls, and everything else in between! It's time to learn how to fight a Scythian Dracaenae. Goldilocks front and center!" Luke called out to the gathered demigods.

Percy moved over to stand next to the others. Most of them moved away from him, or sent him dirty glares that he ignored. He was getting really good at that.

"My name isn't Goldilocks," A boy with curly blond hair wined. "It's Trevor."

"Yeah, well you stole my food and slept in my bed your first day here, and you pissed me off last night, so you're Goldilocks." Luke said waving his hand at Trevor.

"You're going to be the first one to fight the Scythian Dracaenae." Luke said waving toward the Automaton.

"Why me?" Trevor wined as he pulled out his sword, and accepted a shield from one of his brothers.

Percy could hear the sniggering of the other campers. He felt relived that it wasn't him they were laughing at, but he couldn't think of a reason why they were laughing. He soon found out, and had the best seat in the house.

As Trevor walked up to the sand pit where the Scythian Dracaenae's head turned to track the demigod's movements, Luke motioned for Percy to join him at the bench. Percy sat down as Trevor entered the pit. The Scythian began to move leaving trails in the sand as she slithered closer to Trevor. Trevor feinted left and then right. The Scythian stabbed it's trident stopping Trevor from going left, and blocked his way to the right with the shield. Trevor dropped his shield and sword, and quickly slid between the trunks of the Scythian.

"Risky move." Luke muttered. Percy glanced at him to see him biting his thumb tracing each movement of the monster and the demigod with his eyes.

Percy turned his eyes to the fight just in time to see the demigod get a spear tossed to him from one of his sisters. Trevor blocked the trident from stabbing him in the side, but was hit in the back with the shield. The connection between spear and trident broke as Trevor fell. He rolled to the side as the Scythian slammed the shield down hoping to trap Trevor. Trevor rolled to his feet, weaponless, he looked around quickly for his spear as the Scythian pushed itself up.

Trevor was just collecting his spear when the Scythian's trident moved toward his chest. Trevor was forced to use the spear to block the trident. He pushed back, his muscles straining against the machines might, but it was to no effect. With ease the Scythian wrenched the shaft up forcing the trident head to change position, and then with superior strength and quicker then Trevor could react the Scythian pushed all of it's weight down on the trident breaking the spear in half.

_'He's going to lose.' _Percy thought as Trevor yelped and jumped back as the trident pierced the sand between his feet. _'Badly.' _

As Trevor scrambled for his sword which was nearby, Percy realized that the automaton could have won by now. He could hear Trevor's siblings snickering, and it made sense now. This was more then an example to learn how to fight the Scythian. It was a punishment. It was a show of Luke's strength, of what he could do within the confines of camp rules. It was ruthless embarrassment.

Percy winced as Trevor was swept off of his feet by one of the snake trunks. He landed on his front breathless. The Scythian raised it's trident and stabbed at Trevor's shoulder. Trevor screamed at the weapon pierced his skin.

Percy jumped up and took a step froward. He couldn't believe that the machine had stabbed the demigod. He was ready to help, to do what he didn't know, but he had to help. Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Shut down." Luke said coolly.

Percy stopped and looked at Luke as he stepped around him. The unnoticed whirl of mechanics stopped leaving a noticeable silence in it's place. Percy watched quietly as Luke entered the pit, and knelt down next to the demigod.

Luke was aware of the hush that fell on his campers as he knelt down next to the demigod. He felt sadistic pleasure from seeing the demigod squirm and squint in pain practically under his boot. He felt a smile curl his lips.

"Do you understand now?" Luke asked the gasping demigod softly. "I'm the master of this cabin; I rule. It is my way there is no highway."

The demigod gasped staring up at his half brother. There was madness in Luke's eyes. A hunger for power. Even more disturbing to Trevor was the satisfied look on Luke's face as he stared down at him. Trevor prayed that he wasn't the only one to notice this, that someone would call him out.

"You do understand now, right?" Luke asked tilting his head to the side.

"Well?" He prompted after Trevor stayed silent.

"Y-yes." Trevor hissed out.

"Good." Luke smiled down at Trevor.

Then Luke grabbed the trident and pulled it out of Trevor's shoulder with little strain. The shaft of the trident slide within the automaton's grasp. Trevor yelled in pain drowning out the gasps around him. Luke stood up dragging his brother up and then pushed him to his half-siblings.

The demigods caught him. They held him up as he groaned in pain. One of them took charge ordering the others to lay him down. They ripped up an old shirt and began to patch Trevor up. As Trevor looked into the eyes of his siblings, and saw that they too knew the truth of Luke. As they wrapped his wound Trevor realized that there was nothing they could do. Luke was a master of mask. He was a true son of Hermes able to fool even Chiron at his worst times. Who would believe them that there was a darkness within Luke, a darkness that only the Hermes cabin knows.

"Who can tell me what he did wrong?" Luke called out to the concerned demigods. "No one?"

He turned behind him to look at Percy. Percy who was staring in horror at the group hiding Trevor. His green eyes passed over to the Scythian unmoving to the trident it held in it's hand stained red. Luke licked his lips before he called out.

"Percy?"

Percy's eyes turned to him. Luke smiled encouragingly towards Percy as he asked.

"Do you know what Trevor did wrong?"

"He..." Percy trailed off looking at Trevor who was sitting up watching them with dark eyes.

Percy licked his lips before he continued. "He threw down his weapon and shield."

"Correct." Luke said joyously turning to the rest of the cabin. "He threw down his weapon and shield! Never throw down you're weapon unless you for certain have a plane. You can get away with throwing down your shield to make yourself lighter, but may I suggest instead of just throwing it down throw it at the monster."

Trevor turned red as Luke shot him a pointed look. He knew he screwed up, and he didn't need Luke pointing out his massive mistakes. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that it was part of the teaching process. The others couldn't learn without Luke pointing out mistakes that the example made.

"Percy, tell me what else he did wrong." Luke demanded.

Percy gulped his eyes glancing at the other demigods, their staring eyes burning into him as he stepped forward to stand by Luke hoping for a better look of the battle field. He got a closer look at the Scythian, and recalling Trevor's battle he began to list off.

"Well based on it's snake legs I would guess that it's not very fast, but I might be wrong. Because it has a spear I would think that the best thing to do would be keep so close that it can't easily stab at you, or to keep so far away from it that it's only option would to be throw the spear or give chase. I noticed that it can't move very fast in this sand probably because the sand was moving from underneath it. Ummm, he didn't keep track of the snake trunks that caused him to be tripped. He also relied on someone else to supply him with a weapon when in a real fight he wouldn't get that opportunity."

"In a real fight?" Trevor snorted. "What do you know about fighting newbie? Besides it's not like anyone of us is ever going to go on a quest, so me relying on my family isn't a big deal."

"Actually it is a big deal." Luke disagreed. "Even if you are within these camp borders you must act as if each battle will be you're last. Trust me slacking off will give you nothing good."

Luke tilted his head to the side letting the sun light shine on his scar. He knew that it made the others uneasy; a reminder of what could happen to them if they ever when on a quest. He heard Percy breath in deep looking at him from the corner of his eye; Luke saw that Percy was staring transfixed. A frown pulled at Luke's mouth; he didn't want Percy pitying him. It was already a reminder of how he failed, he didn't need pity in the eyes of his fri- subjects.

"I liked how fast Trevor was on his feet. Thing could have been a lot worse if he wasn't." Percy said removing his eyes from Luke's scar.

He knew that Luke had one, it was hard to miss, but he didn't know the full story behind it. The wording of his sentence suggested something bad. Either Luke had a bad match or he went on a quest, and something happened. Something that Luke must blame himself for.

Luke shot a smile at Percy. "Yes, his speed was impressive. You pointed out a lot of good mistakes, now I would like you to step into the ring and try you're hand at it."

Luke waved his hand toward the sand pit. Percy looked at Luke and then toward Trevor. He wondered if Luke was going to try to make him into an example as well. Then he looked at the automaton, and came to a decision.

"I would like more information on this monster, first." Percy challenged setting his jaw in a stubborn lock.

Percy stared at Luke as he slowly turn his head. Percy swallowed when he saw the look in Luke's eyes. He was going to die. Scratch that, he was going to die slowly and painfully.

"What a dumbass!" Percy heard someone yelled.

Luke looked at Percy carefully. It wouldn't do for subordinates to challenge his authority. Then again...Percy looked weary of him, and it wouldn't do for him to mistrust Luke. This time he would give some leeway.

"When you're in the real world, Percy. You won't have the advantage of someone telling you about the monster." Luke said lightly fighting a grin.

Percy stared at Luke. Before his eyes Luke had lightened, maybe he was just tense with that one demigod. Why, Percy didn't know, but he was relieved that Luke wasn't angry with him.

"Well, that's what this class is for isn't?" Percy said feeling the sharp tongue that he often kept in check loosen. "To prepare us for the monsters we are going to face, so we don't flounder in the real world."

"Touche." Luke said with a smile before turning to the Scythian.

"Like snakes there are many different subspecies of Scythians." Luke began raising his voice over the mutters of the demigods. "Each with their own unique power. I've seen Scythians that are able to wield poison from their fingernails."

Percy winced that didn't sound good, but why from the fingernails instead of fangs? Percy moved to asked, but Luke wasn't going to take any questions.

"Do you see the fins?" Luke asked not waiting for the answer he said. "This Scythian tends to live in water more then land. So this Scythian takes after water snakes, don't ask me which one because I don't know."

Luke paused placing his hands on his hips, and looked at the Scythian for a long moment before turning to Percy. He waved toward the automaton and said. "Okay, Percy you're up."

"What?" Percy uttered surprised. He had been expecting more information then that.

"It's time for you to fight the Scythian." Luke said ignoring the snickers.

"But I -" Percy said trying to find the words to say he wanted more time or information. He wanted someone else to fight first, so he could study what they did.

"Someone get him some knives!" Luke called out over Percy.

"Knives?" Percy questioned.

"You mentioned that a sound strategy would be to keep your distance, so I want you to try it." Luke said approaching Percy.

_'And if you get ruffed up in the process then it's no skin off my nose.' _Luke thought to himself as he clapped Percy on the shoulder.

"The ring isn't big enough for distance fighting." Percy said trying to worm his way out of doing it.

"Percy, does it look like there's anyone else besides us here?" Percy meekly shook his head at Luke's question. "Then you can use all the space you want. We'll stand off to the side like normal."

Percy felt a flush stain his skin red. So that's how this class worked. He had seen in passing many students in the arena in passing, most of them fighting each other or dummies, but now looking back he didn't see any automatons fighting them. The lessons must have been held at different times for each cabin.

"Here's your knives." A voice said nastily as they shoved them into his hands.

These knives were not fit for battle, they were barely fit for buttering toast, rusted and dull Percy felt something inside of him snap as his guardian said.

_**'This is ridiculous. I swear you're in more danger being in camp Half-Blood then you are living with your mother.' **_

"I am not using these!" Percy snapped glaring at the demigod.

She had red hair and a splattering of freckles on her face. With hazel green eyes she would have been very pretty except for that ugly sneer on her face.

"Well that's the only extras we have." She sneered. "You're just going to have to make due."

Percy dropped the knives to his feet and stepped on them. He didn't do any damage, not that he wanted to, but he wanted to make it clear that this treatment was unacceptable. Percy leaned forward toward the demigod, who leaned back her sass lost, as the air around them grew colder.

"Then I'll go get some." Percy said softly his voice almost pleasant before it dropped down enough to make the bones of the girl rattle. "But I will not be treated like this anymore."

Luke looked at the two demigods in front of him mentally rolling his eyes at the stupidity of his sister. How none of the demigods here could not see the potential or opportunity that befriending Percy had, Luke would never know. The power dripping off of Percy made his heart race, but he felt he better step in as Percy voice changed rattling his bones before his sister got killed.

She stuttered, her pride trying to rally some response, when Luke stepped in. "I have to agree with Percy these knives are not acceptable."

"There the only ones we have." The girl said casting a nervous look toward Percy.

"Are there no daggers?" The girl shook her head edging herself away from Percy. It was clear she wanted to get as far as she could away from him, but Luke wasn't about to let her go so quickly.

"Well then as I recall Cissy you have a dagger." Luke said pleasantly.

Cissy's face went even paler, if that was possible, and her lips pursed. She said through tight lips. "I do."

"Then I seen no reason that you can't lend it to Percy." Luke said cheerfully, and ignoring Cissy's rage he raised his voice. "All demigods with throwing knives come forward, and place them on the bench."

There was general grumbles as demigods moved to do as he said. Luke watched them all, and then called out. "And don't try to slip out of doing this, I know all of you too well."

Even more demigods moved forward putting down the weapons. Luke turned to Cissy raising an eyebrow as he held out a hand.

"Well?" He asked waiting pointedly.

With a disgruntled look Cissy took out her knife ruffly and handed it over. She didn't look at Percy as she walked away, and she kept a considerable distance. When she arrived near the other demigods who were gathering behind Luke and Percy, she was immediately surrounded. The others wanted to know what Percy did to her, but she didn't speak. She just crossed her arms and glared at Percy all the while trying to shake the chill within her that came with interacting with Percy Jackson.

Luke turned to Percy handing him the weapon. He leaned over as Percy took the knife, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "About time. I was waiting for you to snap."

"I usually keep a good hold on my temper, but this time...I just couldn't handle it anymore." Percy said as Luke steered him to the bench where the weapons were waiting.

"Take your pick, but remember you will have to return them." Luke winked at him as he stepped back letting Percy look at the knifes.

There was quite a selection. Each of them made from different metals, celestial bronze, bronze, iron, and steel; each was stylized to fit a demigods personality. Some were curved, some had studded hilts, some had secret capsules filled with an unknown liquid, and some had special hilts with tassels.

Percy chose the normal ones with no fancy decorations or changes to the knife. He didn't want to mess with someone's favorite knife. Besides with his luck he'd cut himself on the curved on, prick himself on some of the studded hits, accidentally poison himself with the capsules, or throw off his mark with the tassels. Plus, if he messed up and damaged a normal one then he could easily replace it. Honestly, Percy didn't know what Luke was thinking. Luke knew that he was bad at shooting arrows what made him think he would be any better at throwing knives?

"How are we suppose to get our knives back?" A demigod called out.

"Percy will leave the knives he's using on the field, and those they belong to will be free to get them after everyone else gathers their knives. Be warned if anyone tries to steal any knives they answer to me! Remember I have a sixth sense when it comes to belongings and who they belong to." Luke answered keeping his eyes on Percy as he stepped away from the bench.

Luke stepped up to Percy, and to the shock of the Hermes cabin, he offered Percy his sword.  
>"Here, you can use this for when you run out of knives since you haven't made you're own yet."<p>

Percy flushed as he took the offered sword. "They all turn out twisted!"

Luke chuckled saying. "It just takes some practice."

Luke stepped away until he was beside his brothers and sisters. Ignoring the whispers behind him, he watched as Percy stepped farther way from the group Luke's sword hanging from his belt. His blues eyes lit up with a cruel joy as Percy shifted nervously before calling out. "Activate! New Target!"

Percy watched the Scythian as it whorled to life. The automaton almost seemed confused as it raised it's trident from the ground with no body underneath. Percy rushed away from it across the field wanting to get enough distance to throw his knives, and hopefully to keep out of range of the trident. He prayed that it wouldn't throw it's trident.

Luck was on his side, but not on the side of a demigod that stood a little bit away from the Hermes group. The Scythian turned to the demigod and made it's way toward it. Instinctively the demigod backed away. Percy seeing the Scythian was not coming after him felt a surge of panic.

"NO!" Percy yelled. He didn't want the other demigod to get hurt.

The Scythian paused long enough for the demigod to scramble back. He didn't have any weapons on him, and he didn't have any time as the Scythian was moving toward him. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see his siblings and cabin mates shifting nervously. Luke was holding them back. Why though? He wondered, and he got his answer when a ping rained out.

"Stay away from him!" Percy roared throwing another one of his knives at the Scythian.

It bounced off of the Scythian making the machine stop. Percy watched as his knife harmlessly sunk into sand. He felt relief that the demigod was now safe; however, that relief was short lived as the Scythian turned surprisingly fast, and began to make it's way toward him.

Percy stumbled backwards, making some demigods laugh, and ran away. He wanted to keep away from the monster and it's weapon. He ran dodging around pillagers trying to slow the Scythian. It didn't work that well, and he was running out of breath and stamina. As the Scythian neared Percy took a desperate gamble hoping to slow it. He tossed a knife blindly. The knife hit! Percy felt a lurch of hope, but the Scythian just shook it's head and continued on.

Percy was gasping for breath, there was a stitch in his side, and he was slowing. The Scythian was drawing closer. Percy struggled around another pillar only to loose his footing in the sand. Sand flew up like glitter from a cannon celebrating Percy's defeat. As the Scythian drew closer, Percy's breath grew more ragged. He pressed his back against the pillar feeling in his pocket for one of his knives as he kept his eyes trained on the blood stained trident.

His hand closed around a hilt just as his eyes noticed some exposed wires in the neck. It was a small opening, but an opening none the less. As the Scythian positioned the trident for it's attack Percy quickly pulled out the small needle like knife, and flicked it toward the opening. It barely hit, the tip just nicking some of it's wires before the knife fell.

Percy cursed as he barely dodged the trident's strike; his sleeve ripped as he moved away from the pillar. He hurried away until he hit the other pillar. His hands scrapped against withered marble as they stopped him from face planting against the stone. Turning quickly Percy pulled out Luke's sword cutting his belt in the process. He lifted the sword as the trident fell towards his chest. The block was sloppy barely holding back the attack, but it gave him time to move out of the way.

The Scythian moved to attack again, and quickly Percy swung the sword. The sword hit right where his knife had struck. Percy moved to yank the sword out only to still. He gave another yank as the Scythian struggled to free itself, but even with their combined efforts the sword was stuck.

_'Well, at least it can't hit me here.' _Percy thought to himself as his arms were jerked around with every moment the Scythian made.

The Scythian spun it's trident and closed it's hand near the head. Percy eyes widened as it's hand started to move toward him. That began the strange dance of Percy yanking on the sword trying to move out of the way, and the Scythian following him in a tight circle trying to stab him. With every turn Percy pulled harder and harder on the sword; the laughter of his cabin mates burning his ears until finally with a scream the sword came free, and Percy was sent careening into the shadows.

The small cut in the Scythian's neck was now a gash that leaked oil and sparks instead of blood and splinters of bone. It's moves were jerky as it turned to Percy and began to make it's way toward him. To the credit of the Hephaestus cabin their automaton didn't shutdown; to Percy's credit he severed the part of the Scythian that recognized basic commands.

"Shut down!" Luke shouted in frustration once more only to be ignored.

He groaned running a hand through his hair as he glanced at his cabin mates he knew they wouldn't be any help, not that many of them bothered to bring their weapons. Most of them didn't even have their own, except for a couple of knives, they relied on what the camp could give them.

_'We'll have to fix that after this.' _Luke thought as he bit his lip watching the Scythian slowly slither toward the shadows where Percy hid.

"Sorry, Percy you're on your own!" Luke called out. Why did he sound slightly gleeful about that?

"Use anything necessary to stop the machine!" Luke shouted to Percy, who was catching his breath watching the machine. "I'll deal with the Hephaestus cabin after!"

Percy eyed the machine trying to think of a plan. He had time. The machine wasn't moving fast, but that didn't mean he was going to charge up and stab it. He wasn't stupid. The thing could still hurt him pretty badly even if it wasn't moving as well as before.

_'You're not safe until it's dead.'_ Part of Percy thought, and the part that usually was against killing agreed. So how to kill it without getting close?

He had one knife left, and a sword. The knife wouldn't be able to do much damage, and he'd have to get close to do any damage with the sword. A thought occurred to him, a memory, of passing out from a blast and waking up in the Hades corner.

_'Please work.' _He prayed as he tossed the knife up into the shadows.

Then he leaned back against the pillar closing his eyes, and willed himself to be near the Scythian. He heard loud roars, shrill screams, and strange grunts. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder almost guiding him, and then there was wind on his face. Opening his eyes he saw that he was no closer to the Scythian, but he was at an advantage.

He was standing on top of the pillar. He could see that the Scythian was having trouble. It was jerking and sparks kept coming off of it. The strange noise of gears not correctly meshing was filling the air. The Scythian seemed to have lost all sense. It was mindlessly slashing and jabbing all around it spinning in circles looking for it's escaped enemy.

Percy gulped, wished he was closer to the Scythian, prayed to the Greek God of free falls (if there is one, boy did he hope there was one) and jumped. Wind played with his hair as he stomach rose toward his throat. His heart beat accelerated, his eyes widened, and his legs flailed. Percy clinched his teeth, and moved his body as best he could. He gripped the sword and angled it toward the Scythian's head.

He's eyes clinched shut as he body jarred upon impact. He ached all over. His ears rang from the close sound of squealing and crunching metal. His hands burned from electricity. He could smell smoke, and oil. Those smells made his eyes snap open.

He was standing over the broken body of the machine. The head of the Scythian was cut off rolling a few feet away. Oil left a dark trail between the head and the body. Percy moved his feet hearing a squishing sound; he looked down. More oil was pooling under the body soaking Percy's shoes and pants. The scent made Percy's nose wrinkled, but what he saw made his eyes widen. Wires like veins stuck out of the neck of the machine. Sparks erupted from them getting closer and closer to the oil.

Percy quickly stepped out of the oil, but a trail from his soaked pants kept him in danger. He didn't want to go up in flames; however, he didn't know what to do! The knives he used earlier was well away even the one he had tossed into shadows laid near the head untouched by the dark liquid. He started to run toward the knife hoping that he would be able to cut off the oil covered part of his clothing.

"Maia!" Percy heard Luke yell, and then he was up in the air.

Luke had flown toward Percy and grabbed him by his armpits. Then flown as high as he could with the extra weight. Luckily it was enough to get out of range as a small fire erupted from the machine's body, and traced to the head. Percy and Luke stared down at the fire in amazement.

"Put that fire out!" Luke barked at his followers. "Use the sand!"

Quickly the campers threw sand onto the flames smothering them until not a spark remained. Luke landed nearby smiling at them as he let Percy go. Percy stumbled away from Luke looking a little green. As the campers gathered around the two of them, Luke called out.

"Trainings over today! Pick up your knives, and get the Hades away from me!"

The campers gave a laugh, and gathered their items chatting and laughing all the while. Percy kept his eyes on the ground as the children of Hermes passed him. He could hear them whispering, wondering how he did it, glancing at him, looking at him as if he was a enigma, and the space between them and him seemed wider then ever.

"Percy?" Luke's questioning voice came from beside him.

Percy looked up to see Luke looking at him. There was a small smile on his face. An impressed glint in his eyes. There was also concern in those blue depths. Seeing that concern Percy felt warmth fill his belly.

"Good job with the Scythian, Percy." Luke praised nodding at him appreciatively.

"Thanks..." Percy said shyly smiling. "Oh, uh, here you might want your sword back."

"Yeah, I kind of need it." Luke said amused as he took the handle from Percy.

Instantly a tingle traveled up his arm. He shivered as new energy filled him. With Percy's power he would be able to conquer anything that stood in his way, and the world would be rebuilt anew. Luke felt a jagged grin grow on his face, he felt elated, but for some reason Percy took a step back from him.

To Percy, Luke looked slightly insane. His eyes glower with a hungry look. His body was shaking, and that grin that grew on his face was frightening. Luke Castellan look like something out a nightmare. Percy, not wanting to tarnish his friend's image, made up an excuse for him.

"You feeling alright, Luke? You're shaking. Is it the heat?" Percy asked ignoring the fact that it was a rather cool summer day.

"Oh, no." Luke huffed out smiling at Percy's concern. "I'm just hyped because of that awesome battle. I'm really proud of you."

Luke lightly punched Percy on the arm. He kept his sword angled away from the two of them as Percy rubbed the place Luke had punched. He was still shaking slightly, but hopefully Percy would believe his excuse. Luke was certain Percy would. After all it seemed that Percy was willing to believe anything if that meant he got to keep his friends.

"Why don't you head over to Greek Mythology. Annabeth will be happy if you showed up early." Luke said nodding his head toward the exit. "I have some things I need to take care of...like making sure my brothers and sisters don't mess anything up, and track down those skippers."

Percy nodded, and headed out. Luke soon left after leaving only one demigod in the arena. Cissy walked out from where she had hidden behind a pillar. She had hidden there when the machine began to go berserk, without her knife she would have been defenseless. An easy target, so she had done what would save her skin.

Her red curls bounced on her shoulders as she walked toward the middle of the arena. She looked for her knife among the sand. Hazel eyes looking for the familiar metal glint. As she looked she couldn't help, but grumble to herself.

"Why did it have to be my knife? It's not my fault that...that..." Cissy explode with anger as another look revealed nothing but sand. "Inept loser wasn't prepared for the lesson!"

"I bet he had to cheat to stop that machine, or someone else had to step in!" Cissy sneered.

Cissy stopped when she saw her knife near two piles of sand. It looked like normal, so why did she not want to be near it? Her hand slowly reached for it. She hesitated before she grabbed it. When she grabbed it she knew why she didn't want anything to do with it.

Ice pierced her hand and shot up her arm. Fear gripped her heart as she cried out and threw her knife away from her. She looked at her shaking hand expecting to see it burned red or frozen blue stating that frostbite had settled in. Her heart pounded. She never felt fear like this, never felt a cold like this, and she never wanted to feel it again.

Hazel eyes looked at the innocent looking knife a few feet away from her. Her throat felt tight as she came to a conclusion. She didn't want anything to do with Percy Jackson or with anything he touches. That included her favorite knife, or really her least favorite knife now that it's been contaminated by Jackson.

Cissy scrambled to her feet and ran out of the arena. She didn't want to be near that thing. As she ran she hoped she wouldn't run into Jackson, and she hoped this chill would go away soon.

Greek Mythology was canceled because Annabeth had other things to do.

Lunch was the same as every other day before.

Clarisse was as ruff as ever during wrestling. Wood-chopping was hard work, but it had to be done.

Free time was actually kind of boring (Percy spent that time trying to block out persistent thoughts out of his head).

Dinner was slightly interesting Percy complimented Clarisse on her teaching skills to Luke, who had asked how it went, a bit too loudly causing the girl to blush and then pound her siblings stupid enough to laugh against the table; the glare Percy received from her promised pain.

Percy lost spectacularly at the Trials of Strength, really it was stupid of him to try against the Ares cabin.

That night Percy decided to skip the Campfire singalong. He didn't think he could stand the way people edged away from him in such a warm environment this night as they did all the nights before.

On Friday Percy woke up before anyone else, not wanting to deal with morning glares he sneaked out. By doing so he avoided a cabin inspection by Clarisse, and got a nice breakfast alone without any hostilities being throwing at him. His pancakes tasted extra sweet that day, and his water was really refreshing.

Ancient Greek was pretty fun with Chiron; he challenged Percy with a board game that helped him learn the language. Both Percy and Chiron would draw a card showing an image, and try to name what was happening in that card. Each time Percy got a word right he could move up a tile, but each time he got one wrong he had to move back. If he answered a question in a complete sentence or used the word in a sentence he could move three spaces up, and there was no penalty for getting parts of a sentence wrong. Chiron won, but Percy thought he was going easy on him because he wasn't as far ahead as Percy thought he should be.

Polishing armor was kind of boring, but at least it was peaceful. The smell of the polish gave him a headache after a while. Then his hand started to cramp, and by the end of it he had trouble uncurling his fingers. Still not the worst thing to do at camp.

Percy tried to learn how to ride a Pegasus; however, it didn't end well. As soon as he entered the stable the Pegasus began to nicker and stomp their feet in agitation. Other campers gave him dirty looks as they tried to calm their horses. Percy was able, by some miracle, to saddle and get a one out of the stables, but he wasn't able to get on it. Luckily he was able to dodge the kick to the head. He left feeling dejected, but gave a small smile toward Silena. She gave him a sympathetic look as he left the area.

Greek Mythology was with Annabeth; she was a hard taskmaster, but it was worth the hard work to see that proud smile on her face. Percy couldn't help, but think she was very pretty when she smile. He knew that Annabeth was a cool person, but now he knew something else about her. When she smiled, she looked like a princess.

Lunch was entertaining. Luke kept juggling plates, forks, spoons, and cups; however, he was forced to drop them when his siblings began to throw more utensils at him to juggle and it just became too much. He was told to clean it up by Chiron and glared at by Mr. D; Percy couldn't help but laugh at his predicament. Hey, Luke brought it on himself, and that's exactly what Percy told him.

Volleyball was an easy win, for some reason each time Percy spiked it no one would hit it back. In fact they scattered away from the ball as if it was dangerous. Percy soon bowed out of the game watching from the sidelines. It just wasn't fun when no one was playing against him. He quickly learned not to cheer, at least not too loudly, the person he was cheering for would freeze. Thus, missing the hit. Then he would get glares from the rest of the team.

Firework-making was fun at first. Except he almost put too much powder in one, and got scolded by the overseer. Then some how his shirt caught on fire, and so a bucket of water was pored on him. The overseer said he was too dangerous to work on the fireworks and demoted him to clean up. It didn't take long, but it wasn't as fun as making the fireworks.

Only when Free Time came did things start spinning out of control. Percy was walking by the river taking in the nature. He felt relaxed, even if the Nymphs and Naiads kept their distance from him unlike when they see other campers. It was peaceful. Percy smiled to himself as he thought.

_'All in all it's been a good day.' _

Percy felt his smile widen when he saw Grover sitting by himself, nibbling on a can, next to the river. Even if Grover had left him alone, it's been awhile since he saw him. In a weird way Percy had grown fond of his stalker, or at the very least he now knew the reason behind Grover watching him. Perhaps, now they can be friends? Anyway it was a familiar face, and Percy found himself wanting to talk to someone.

"Hey, Grover!" Percy called picking up his pace. Part of him was worried that Grover would run once he saw him.

Grover gave him a wide eye look, a piece of aluminum hanging out of his mouth, as Percy came over he chewed it quickly. Soon his cheeks were puffed up like chipmunk's. His slitted goat eyes watched as Percy chuckled and sat down beside him. He swallowed both out of nervousness and out of a need to speak.

"Hey, Percy..." Grover started eyes darting away from the demigod. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I was taking a walk when I saw you, and I decided I wanted to chat." Percy said casually. Maybe it was cruel, but Percy enjoyed watching Grover squirm. He felt like he deserved some type of compensation for the satyr abandoning him.

"Oh, lucky me." Grover muttered to himself.

They sat in awkward silence before Percy asked a question. He was curious about this, but he also just wanted the silence to go away. He's grown so sick of silence.

"Why are the cabins of Zeus and Poseidon empty?" Percy asked leaning back on his arms, and stretching his legs out in front of him.

Percy couldn't see Grover's face, but there was relief in his voice. "After World War Two, the big three, that is Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, agreed they shouldn't sire anymore demigods. The reason was because their children was too powerful. They were effecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War Two was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other."

"Which side was which?" Percy asked sitting up interested.

"What?" Grover asked surprised.

"Which side was Zeus and Poseidon on, and which one was Hades. I mean I know that most people would assume that the Axis powers would be run by the children of Hades, and that Allies would be the children of Zeus and Poseidon." Percy explained watching Grover with interest.

Grover grimaced, and then leaned toward Percy. Percy intrigued leaned forward as well. He noticed something off about Grover, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He hoped that Grover wasn't going to kiss him; he didn't know Grover well enough for that.

"Look, I'm not suppose to tell you this. All nature spirits were told to spread a twisted version of events to appease the gods who reside on Olympus. The real version is this: There was a son of Zeus who didn't fit the stereotypical image of a son of Zeus, ya know blond hair and blue eyes." Grover whispered waving his finger in a circle when he described the image.

Percy nodded entranced by what Grover was saying.

"Well, he became obsessed with people with that image. People who didn't look like that, or have any resemblance to that image...well, you've been in history class." Grover said sadly.

"What about the children of Poseidon?" Percy asked softly.

"They really outnumbered the children of Zeus. Most of them came from or took control of Japan. Italy was a mix of children of Zeus and Poseidon, while Germany was mostly children of Zeus. Of course there were tons of humans following these powerhouses." Grover stopped. He wished that he had a drink on him; his throat was dry, and his head felt funny. Fuzzy almost.

"What about the children of Hades?" Percy asked glancing at the sky. Zeus wasn't thundering, so he guessed that the gods weren't listening.

"They were split. Those that lived in the hot zones wished to fight. Those that didn't wished to stay out of everything, when it became apparent that they couldn't they fought. When I asked why they fought they said that there was enough death in this world without a mass killing." Grover said.

"Wait, you talked to them?" Percy asked stunned. "They must have been really old..."

"They weren't." Grover said shortly. "I was a reporter during that war. I talked to both sides. Perk of being a protector of demigods, gets you places most other people can't go. Formed friends on both sides. Lost family during that time."

Grief shinned in Grover's eyes as he continued. "Well, you know how it ended. The Axis fell, and the Allies won. Zeus and Poseidon lost, and Hades won."

Grover's eyes darkened. "It couldn't go down in demigod history like that. Zeus decreed that his children were the one's trying to stop the massacre, Poseidon not wanting to go down said the same. Hades was left with no defense as the other gods and goddesses agreed with his brothers, even his own wife agreed with Zeus when she heard of Zeus's plan. All of the demigods were to be killed, and there would be no more children of the big three. They swore on the river Styx to never have children again. I remember each of the gods seemed to have different reactions to all of this. Zeus gladly followed through to save his name, Poseidon reluctantly did all of this thinking of his children, and Hades was devastated when he was forced into that binding agreement."

Percy wondered how Grover knew how the gods felt, but he never got the change to ask. He watched as Grover's lips tilted into a frown. He heard Grover's voice deepen and grew harsher as he scowled toward the still waters of the river. It was almost like he was possessed.

"Of course Zeus broke that agreement. He fell for a TV starlet with a fluffy eighties hairdo. He sired a little girl named Thalia. Swearing on the river Styx is serious stuff, Percy. There was no consequences for Zeus, but for Thalia...well, the fates made sure that some form of punishment was had. She, two other demigod, and I were chased by monster. We reached the hill top where that big pine tree is, and the monsters caught up. Thalia died, and Zeus turned her into a tree to defend the grounds. Perhaps he felt sad for her, proud of her, or maybe he really did love her and her mother."

"Or maybe all there," Percy muttered before loudly saying. "And I guess that Hades was blamed for that."

"Oh, yes." Grover said his voice deeper and darker then ever before. Now that Percy was paying attention to Grover, his eyes seemed strangely blank. "Percy there is something you need to know. Being a child of Hades is far more dangerous then being a child of any other god. You won't be accepted by the dead or the living. You'll be hated by gods and demigods. You'll have to forge you're own way, and rely only on those that you absolutely know you can trust."

Percy's eyes widened as Grover's eyes lightened. Grover jumped to his feet, and stumbled away.

"S-sorry, Percy!" Grover stuttered as he trotted away. "I-I have to go!"

That's when Percy realized that the shadow under Grover lightened as did all the other shadows in the surrounding area. Sound rushed back as if something had been muting it. Percy wondered if someone had placed a barrier around them making sure that no one could listen in including the gods. It would explain why Percy and Grover weren't lightning ashes. Percy curled into himself staring into the, now loud, river. He felt so cold. His heart hurt, his head hurt, and his mind was racing. Then he did something he never really tried before. He reached for his guardian.

_'So you're my father...Hades.' _Percy thought feeling a presence wake up in the back of his head.

_**'About time you figured it out.' **_His voice was cool, but Percy got the feeling his was joking.

_**'I had hoped my son would be a bit sharper then this.' **_Well, that was going a bit far.

_**'Of course you were under a lot of stress, and my constant presence in you're life probably didn't help that much...Did I make you believe I was someone else?' **_Percy didn't get the chance to answer as Hades continued on. Percy couldn't tell if he was rambling because he was nervous, or because he was excited to be able to talk to him without restraint. Both thoughts seemed kind of far fetched.

_**'It doesn't matter as long as you heed my warning.' **_Hades said.

_'Your warning...You mean about being a son of Hades. How no one will accept me?' _Percy thought back to his father as his stomach turned.

_**'Yes.' **_Well, one thing about Hades that was good; he was straight forward.

_'And the reason everyone stays away from me...it's because I'm your son.'_ Percy thought his hand tightening into fist.

_**'...Yes.' **_Hades answered hesitantly.

Percy leaned forward as if he had been punched in the stomach. It felt like he had. He couldn't seem to breath. His vision swam before his eyes as he mind was trapped in an endless loop.

_'I've never had any friends...People hated me...being around me...it's your fault...'_

_**'Perseus...' **_Hades called trying to get Percy's attention. He couldn't hear his son's thoughts, but he had a feeling that they were not good.

Percy's head was spinning. It was all his fault...All Hades fault. Something within him hardened, and he sat up. Percy reached for his father hearing him say.

_**'I'm sorry that I took over your friend, but it was the only way for me to contact you outside of your head. I was uncertain if I should breech the topic with you in that way, but I saw a chance and I took it. I figured it would mean more if it was coming from someone you could see instead of a voice only you can hear considering that you've been worried about you're sanity. Which I have to admit is a worry for all my children...Well, all demigods in general worry about their sanity.'**_

__Hades would have continued if Percy didn't interrupt him.

_'So people hate me for being your son, before they even know I'm your son...Do me a favor don't claim me.'_

Hades was silent. Percy felt a ping of guilt as his father moved away from his son leaving his mind fully his for the first time. He was in the right, right? People hated him because of his father before they even knew who his father was, so it was best they didn't know. Besides it wasn't like he would have a place here if people found out in fact it would only make it worse!

Percy did all he could to convince himself that he didn't do anything wrong. He shouldn't feel bad. It's not like he hurt his dad's feeling or anything...but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had. He also couldn't shake the feeling of being even more alone then he was before.

Percy heaved a sigh as he pushed himself up and on his feet. He shook his head wanting to clear his head and his heart. He felt bad for being so cold toward his dad, but he was hurting as well. He rubbed at his chest over his heart as he walked away from the river.

He let his feet wonder lost in his own thoughts. Maybe he should apologize. Maybe he should explain. Maybe he should let his dad claim him. Seeing the glares being aimed at him, he quickly decided against that idea. It was dangerous enough being a demigod, but being an outcast demigod? That was just too much.

Percy was taking another step when he hesitated because he saw something that didn't make any sense. Will was grumbling to himself as he stretched what looked like an old, dirty, ragged blanket. Percy looked around at the passing campers. They didn't seemed to be responding to Will's strange behavior, so Percy thought he should just ignore it and continue on his way. However his curiosity got the better of him.

"What are you doing?" He asked stopping beside Will.

"I'm trying to rip this, so I can get a new blanket!" Will grunted pulling the opposite sides of the blanket.

"Why?" Percy asked feeling slight amusement at the faces Will was making. This was better than dwelling on what just happened between him and his father.

"Every camper is given one blanket when they first arrive at camp. They're allowed to buy, bargain, trade, make or even steal another blanket as long as their first blanket is beyond hope. My blanket was okay at first then someone, I'm guessing from the Hermes cabin, spilled something on it. I've been trying to get rid of this thing ever since. It's been burned, ripped, stained, left in random places and it always comes back, but for some reason I'm not allow to get a new one!" Will ranted.

"Have you tried just buying a new one? Or something..." Percy offered. He was starting to think that Will was going a little crazy, or he already was crazy.

"I've tired, but I was denied. Told that my blanket could still be used. That's why I'm making a last ditched effort to get rid of this thing." Will said passing Percy a smile as he gave another vicious tug.

Percy felt his heart warm at Will's smile. He smiled widely back as Will said.

"I'm going to the head. Surly, Mr. D will have to give me a new blanket after seeing this mess."

Percy felt a sliver of doubt enter his gut. He agreed that the blanket was a mess; however, he knew that Mr. D didn't have to do anything. Will was going to be disappointed. Percy felt bad for him as he said.

"I'll come with you."

Will made a non-understandable noise as he walked away. Like a puppy Percy followed him feeling slightly put out that Will wouldn't talk to him. Oh well, nothing new there. So Percy shrugged it off and walked with Will enjoying the company. It wasn't long before they reached the Big House where Mr. D was sitting on a desk chair drinking a Coke.

"Mr. D!" Will called joyfully rushing toward the Greek God.

Percy felt worry bubble inside of him as he hurried after Will. He saw Will's exited bright face, he must really want to get rid of that blanket, and Mr. D's bored look. Percy came to a stop next to Will watching as Mr. D's purple eyes flicker to him and then back to Will.

"What do you brats want?" He grumbled.

"I want a new blanket!" Will practically shouted causing Percy to wince.

Mr. D's eyes turned to Percy making the young demigod turn his head away. Percy had a bad feeling about this. He pitied Will, who sounded so excited about getting a new blanket, but he wasn't about to put his neck on the line for a blanket that could be put in a corner and forgotten about. Why didn't Will do that?

"No." Mr. D said taking a sip of coke.

"But, but," Will stammered looking as if Poseidon came out of nowhere and slapped him with a tuna fish.

"No. Now get lost brats it's time for my afternoon nap." Mr. D said snapping his fingers making the coke disappear as he stood up.

Will's mouth opened and closed in shock before he huffed, and walked away. Percy hesitated looking at Mr. D wanting to ask him something.

"What?" Mr. D snapped losing patience with the lingering demigod.

"C-Could w-we d-do C-C-Capture The F-Flag ton-night." Percy stuttered hunching his shoulders staring wide eyed at Mr. D.

Mr. D didn't say anything. He just turned away and went inside. Percy slumped his shoulders

feeling like his chance to make the others like he was taken away. However, that night Percy found himself cheering and smiling along with everyone else as Chiron announced that Capture the Flag was back on.

Sorry it took so long! Life. And I know things may seem a little weird like Will and the blanket but I swear there is a reason for it.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Son of the underworld chapter 8**_

Ncalkins does not own Percy Jackson, ooc, AU, some instances taken from book(s), warning: Dark; not betaed

"Since this is the night of Capture the Flag. I will give you a choice." Chiron said addressing all of the demigods once the cheers had died down. "We can have the game tonight or wait until tomorrow."

Chiron smiled as the demigods roared the answer that he had anticipated. He looked at Mr. D waiting for the god to do his part of the plan, but once again Mr. D was not paying attention. He was staring into his cup. Chiron heaved a sigh as a fond smile making it's way to his lips.

"Mr. D," Chiron called.

Mr. D hummed not lifting his head from his staring contest with his cup filled with coke.

"The weapons and armor, Mr. D." Chiron reminded him gently.

Mr. D grunted as he snapped his fingers. On the tables different types of swords, knives, bows and arrows, and armor appeared. The demigods yelled in delight as they grabbed for the best pieces. Mr. D lowered his head even further hiding his smile. Damn brats getting under his skin.

"Thank you Mr. D." Chiron said kindly smiling at Mr. D's answering grunt.

Percy stared in amazement as the demigods went wild. All around him different sized hands and colored skin was snatching up armor and weapons. Surprisingly, no fights broke out. Percy felt a tap on his shoulder, looking over he saw Luke holding out a belt filled with knives toward him.

"Here," Luke said handing the belt to Percy. "We already know that your good with knives."

"More like lucky." Percy said under his breath as he buckled the belt around his waist.

"Now, I would get you a sword," Luke said standing on his tiptoes looking around the dining area. "But is seems they're all taken."

Percy started to reach for some armor when Luke slapped his hand out of the way. Percy jumped, startled, and looked at Luke. He gulped seeing Luke's glare.

"That's my armor. Get your own." Luke snapped.

Percy stared at him wide eyed. He saw Luke's eye twitch, and this his lips. It wasn't long before Luke was roaring with laughter causing the other campers to look at him.

"Y-you should have seen your face!" Luke said laughing.

Percy smiled nervously. Luke was laughing too loud, drawing too much attention, and smiling too wide. Something felt wrong. Percy shook it off. Luke was just joking. Just playing.

"Really though, these things are useless. Their cumbersome, and the likely hood of you having one when you need one is slim." Luke said picking up the chest piece that Percy had reached for giving it a disgusted look.

"But even if it's cumbersome, it protects you. So isn't it better to have it?" Percy questioned Luke.

Luke shot Percy a smile as he asked. "Have you ever tried to go around modern cities wearing ancient Greek armor?"

"No..." Percy said. "But point taken."

"Sadly, to play the game you have to wear armor. So here you go." Luke said handing Percy the same armor that he had reached for before.

"Wait, I need this?" Percy asked taking the armor with one hand while pointing at it with his other.

"Yep." Luke said smiling cheerfully as he grabbed and strapped on his own armor.

"Then why did you slap my hand?" Percy questioned, read whined, as he put on the breast plate.

"Because it was fun." Luke said shrugging still smiling. "Now, being new you probably won't have an active role in this game. Knowing Annabeth she'll put you on border patrol."

"Why border patrol?" Percy asked as he picked up a shield. He made a face at the bulky item, but found a way to strap it to his back.

"Your less likely to run into any trouble there. Everyone knows not to attack the east border, which is where you will be, because it's where the newbies are and no one wants an easy fight. Besides that border doesn't even lead to the flag, it never does. The flags aren't allowed to be a certain amount of feet, or was it miles, from the forest edge." Luke explained patting Percy on the head.

"I'm not a dog." Percy snapped shoving Luke's hand away.

"Just trying to be reassuring." Luke shrugged.

"I'm not scared." Percy muttered defiantly looking at the ground.

Percy never saw Luke's eyes narrow, nor his lips turn into a frown. Luke felt displeased. Percy wasn't suppose to be defiant. He was suppose to be obedient. He was suppose to rely on Luke, follow him like the good henchman Percy was suppose to be, not gain independence.

"Well, that's good." Luke said keeping his voice upbeat even as he decided to bring Percy down a notch or two.

"Because I would be scared if I pissed off the whole Ares cabin." Luke said nonchalantly. He hid the glee in his voice as he saw Percy tense. "What with me being a newbie, and having very little training. I mean if I were you, I would be cautious, after all the punishment for maiming is no desert, and the Ares cabin doesn't play by the rules when their pride is hurt."

Percy felt his stomach curl into a solid ball as Luke talked about him. Percy wasn't arrogant enough to think he could beat a whole cabin, but he wasn't going to shrink away. He felt kind of surprised with himself as anger burned in his chest. He was so tired of people putting him down.

His eyes burned with fury as he glared towards Luke with determination. Luke resisted taking a step back. The look in Percy's eyes made him want to cower, maybe he pushed too far. Luke tried to shake off that thought. This was good. It was good for Percy to have a back bone, just not toward him.

"I am no afraid." Percy repeated. It felt like fire was going to come spewing out of his mouth. He could feel it bubbling up from his stomach, and pooling in the back of his throat.

He was just so tired of being pushed around. Luke was his friend. He was suppose to have his back, not tear him down. So what if Percy was a newbie? With the way the others were around him it was unlikely that he would be attacked, so Luke had no right to threaten him with the Ares cabin.

"Okay," Luke said holding up his hands slightly looking away from Percy. "I was just concerned."

Percy felt all of his anger drain from him. The fire that had pooled within him was gone not even embers remained. He felt drained, and like an ass. Luke had just been concerned, and he had snapped. He let his anger get the best of him, and that was wrong. Luke had just wanted to help; he did it in the wrong way, but he still had Percy's best interest at heart. Right?

"Sorry." Percy muttered looking away from Luke.

Luke shrugged it off as he said. "Here's the teams. Hermes is allied with Athena and Apollo. Annabeth came up with the strategy just stay on the border that you've been assigned. Ares is allied with everyone else. Ares might be a problem with how competitive they are, and with how strong they are not to mention their numbers. Dionysus cabin has good athletes, but there is only two of them so don't worry about them too much. Demeter cabin has a way with plants and since we're going into a forest try to avoid them. Aphrodite's kids won't be a problem they don't do much; unlike the Hephaestus cabin who probably has some traps set up."

"How did they get traps up when we've just learned that the game was back on?" Percy asked trying to keep track of all the information while fighting the urge to fidget.

"We're all going to get a while to prepare, so expect several kids to go into the woods." Luke said.

"Okay." Percy said nodding conveniently. He could deal with anything thrown at him.

"One more thing Percy." Luke said pointing at him. "I know there are some people on the other side that you think are your friends. Just remember that you have no friends."

Percy jerked slightly when Luke sneered the word friends. It was strange. Why was Luke acting like this? He felt hurt when Luke said he had no friends, but shook it off. Maybe Luke was just competitive, and this game was important to him.

"O-okay." Percy stuttered unsure.

Percy watched at Luke smiled, nodded, and then left. On his own, he decided to look around. True to Luke's words some campers were heading to the woods. Emerald eyes swept over the others trying to find someone to talk to. The campers avoided his eyes and tried to keep their distance. Percy seeing Annabeth ignored the pain their actions caused and made his way over to her.

"So what's the rules of the game?" Percy asked to start a conversation.

Annabeth looked at him; her gray eyes shinning as she said. "We use the entire forest. The creek is the boundary line. We have the part that is closes to the armory. Demigods can use magic items."

Percy gulped feeling uneasy when Annabeth mentioned magic items. Magic items meant unpredictability. Unpredictability meant danger. Danger meant pain or death. He decided then and there he wanted a magic item, but how to get one?

"The banner must always be on display, and only have two guards. No more then that or the other team wins by default. Any other players have to be out of sight of the flag, or else their considered a guard. Prisoners may be disarmed, but not bound or gagged. Killing and maiming is not allowed, and Chiron serves as referee and medic. Anything else?" Annabeth said looking at him almost impatiently.

"How would one get a magical object?" Percy asked wondering why Annabeth would be impatient.

Annabeth's hand drifted to her pocket and rested there, as if insuring that Percy had not stolen anything. Percy felt a pang of hurt when he saw that, but shook it off. He was just being paranoid; Annabeth knew him better then that. She knows he wouldn't steal something, right?

"Their godly parent gives them one, usually. There have been cases of magical items being found, but their quickly confiscated by Chiron." Annabeth said glancing away from Percy.

"Why?" Percy asked tilting his head to the side.

"Because their dangerous, dummy." Annabeth said a smile playing on her lips.

Percy pouted at being called dummy. Then he smirked. Crossing his arms over his chest, he said.

"Okay, wise girl. If magical items are given by the godly parent then more than one demigod must have one. So tell me. Who has magical items? Who do I need to watch out for?"

"If it was that easy I would have an unbeatable plan each time. The problem is that when someone gets a gift from their parent they usually want to keep it a secret. Except for Clarisse, she has an electric spear that her dad gave her. So watch out for her." Annabeth told Percy.

"What about you?" Percy teased. "Got any magic tricks up your sleeve?"

"No." Annabeth snapped her gray eyes flashing.

Percy backed away with his hands up in a calming motion, saying. "Okay, okay, sorry."

Annabeth sighed. "No. I'm sorry. I'm just kind of tense because of the game. I have a plan, but I need to make backups just in case. Look, can you just...go bug someone else for a while."

Percy flinched ignoring the guilt in Annabeth's eyes he said. "Yeah, sure. Good luck with your planning."

Percy walked away ignoring the quickened steps of the demigods trying to get out of his way. He had his head down and his hands in his pockets. He knew that Annabeth, probably, didn't mean to be so rude. It still hurt though. He lifted his head to see Will resting against one of the tables with his bow being held in his lap.

"Will!" Percy called out pulling his hand out of his pocket and raising it in greeting.

To Percy's shock Will nodded toward him in greeting while smiling. This cause Percy's bad mood to lighten. He hurried over to the blond boy, and hopped onto the table next to him.

"Hey." Percy greeted happily.

"Hey." Will said softly shifting a big closer to the edge of the table away from Percy.

Percy ignored Will's slight movement, after all it wasn't like he had took off running, and said.

"Isn't this exciting!"

"Yeah, capture the flag is the best!" Will agreed happily sending Percy a blinding smile.

"We're on the same team, right?" Percy asked pretending he didn't know.

Will's smile faltered before he softly said. "Yeah."

"Then do you want to team up?" Percy asked hopefully.

"I can't." Will said softly. "I'm on guard duty. My bow is essential to the plan."

"But can't you ask one of your siblings to do that?" Percy asked. "I would really like your help."

Will opened his mouth to gently refuse when one of his sibling cut in.

"He said no!" A loud voice said next to Percy's ear.

Percy flinched; his head whipped to the side to see a brown haired, blue eyed, boy staring at him with anger in his eyes.

"And quite frankly, I don't blame him. Who would want to be near a freak like you?" He snapped crossing his arms across his chest.

"I-" Percy started to say something, anything, in his defense.

"I certainly don't. I hope you get hurt, not only that I hope that Chiron kicks you out of here." He said. Malice shined in his blue eyes, so different from Will's.

"Malcolm." Will hissed. His blue eyes were dark with anger, and his grip on his bow was tight, but Percy never saw this. All Percy saw was the hatred in the eyes of Malcolm.

"Can't you see that no one likes you? Why are you even here? This place was perfect before you got here, and it will be perfect again when you're gone." Malcolm spat out.

Each question, every sentence, caused Percy to flinch in pain.

_'That's not true.' _Percy denied, but he couldn't say the words. _'There are people who like me, people who love me. It just might take a while for them to get truly use to me is all.'_

His denial felt frail in his head, and as he began to wilt, Will was getting fired up.

"Right." Percy said looking down to his knees, but not seeing them. "I'll just go then."

"Percy..." Will began, but was ignored as Percy walked away.

Will turned angry eyes to his brother. They were watching Percy leave with triumphant eyes, that triumph died when Will whacked them over the head with his bow.

"Hey! What was that...for..." The camper started to yell only for his voice to trail off when he caught sight of Will.

"Don't you ever." Will seethed. "EVER. Talk to someone like that again. Got it, Malcolm?"

"What's your problem?" Malcolm asked rubbing at his head trying to make the sting go away. "It's not like you like him."

"Dad likes him." Will said clutching his bow tightly.

Malcolm eyed the bow wearily, not because he thought he was going to get hit, but because it was glowing. The others didn't know it, but Will was blessed by Apollo, and that bow he was holding was a gift from his father. Malcolm knew that the bow glowed in response not only to Will's emotion, but Apollo's as well. He remembered another camper badmouthed dad, and Will was using his newly gifted bow. It glowed then as well, and scarily enough, the arrow that had been shot from it had curved away from it's intended target toward the camper. Needless to say that camper had an arrow in the bum, and the Apollo cabin looked at that bow a little bit wearily.

"Then dad can befriend him. We shouldn't have to suffer that...thing's...company." Malcolm said in disgust. He didn't want to make his dad mad, but he wanted to be around Jackson even less.

Will's eyes flashed gold. His brother faded from view as a flurry of colors passed before his eyes. His ears were filled with the sound of fighting. The smell of blood, sweat, and trees filled his nose. Then the sight of a Hell Hound jumping toward him made his arm holding his bow lash out. He felt it connect with something causing his bow and arm to quiver.

Finally, Will's vision cleared. His hearing came back, but instead of the hearing the sound of excited campers he heard groans and sounds of disgust. There was a sharp sickly smell in the air. Hearing a groan from the ground in front of him, Will looked down. There was his brother, the one that had been mean to Percy, holding his stomach kneeling in a pile of his vomit.

"Chiron." Will called as he held his bow closer and stepped away from his brother.

Chiron came over and checked over Malcolm. He clicked his tongue, and said.

"You're going to have to miss this game. You're running a fever, and I'll have to take you to the infirmary. One of the nymphs will look after you."

Will watched as Chiron carefully picked up the camper. He stepped out of the way letting Chiron pass. The feverish eyes of his sibling seared into his back as he turned to help some of his other siblings get ready for the game.

_'I must have hit him with my bow...But why did he get sick, and so suddenly? What was with that vision? Where on earth would I encounter a Hell Hound. Dad, I really wish your vision were clearer.' _Will thought as his bow turned back to normal.

Malcolm watched as Will turned away. He knew that Chiron was trying to be gentle while he carried him, but every step sent his stomach turning. He felt hot, so hot, his throat itched, and his head hurt. All he could do was wonder...

_'What was so special about Percy Jackson that it would cause Apollo to curse his own son?'_

"Heroes!" Chiron's voice carried over the mess hall. "Get to your stations! The game is about to begin!"

Percy felt his earlier heartache disappear as the mess hall's light dimmed, and campers in full armor came to their feet. In a disorganized mess they marched to the edged of the pavilion, and they stopped. Percy got on the tip of his toes wanting to see over the heads of the other campers. He couldn't see very well, so he climbed on one of the dining tables.

Mr. D was gone. Chiron was standing at the mess hall's main entrance. He was holding a bow, as he raised it a hush came over the demigods. Percy felt his breath catch in his throat as Chiron called out.

"Team captains step forward!"

Annabeth ran from the side of the pavilion with two of her siblings carrying a long silk banner. This banner was a glistening gray with an brown owl sitting on an olive branch standing out against the gray background. Those with helmets that had a blue horsehair plume cheered; while those with the red booed. Those with the red horsehair plume cheered as their team captain and banner came forth from the other side.

Clarisse and two of her siblings came barreling in holding a dark red, the color of blood, banner the same length as the Athena cabin's. On that bloody background was the head of an boar with a spear piercing though the back of it's head and out of the eye that was facing the crowd. Black fresh blood covered the tip of the spear and dripped onto the edge of the banner creating a border.

"Blue team!" Annabeth called trying to make her voice as commanding as Chiron's; Percy couldn't help but feel as if she failed. Part of him relished in that slight failure for the way she treated him earlier. "Forward!"

Percy jumped off the table feeling a bounce in his step. He felt so excited! As he followed the blue team out he glanced at Clarisse, only to see her pretend to slit her throat and then point at him. Percy gulped and hurried up hearing malicious snickering behind him.

_'Okay, a little less fun.' _Percy thought as he marched with the others toward the woods.

Percy stood at the edge of the forest leaning against a tree. He was barely in the forest only a couple of feet in. Now he knew why no one went near the eastern boarder patrol. Percy pouted as he leaned against the tree listening to the whoops and hollers of the other campers. This was going to suck.

"Cream the punk!" A shout came from the left of him.

Percy startled jumping away from the tree. He looked at the foliage seeing it rattle, and hearing the stomp of whoever camper(s) was around.

_'Who in their right mind would be over here?' _Percy thought his eyes darting from dark tree to dark tree. _'Unless...Luke was right.'_

Percy turned to the tree he had been leaning against. Whispering an apology, you never know if a Nymph is in there or not, he scrambled up the tree until he came upon a branch that would hold his weight. Once he was on the branch he stilled all movement, slowed his breathing, and pressed himself against the tree trunk. He saw three figures come lumbering out of the foliage. One of them seemed to be carrying a spear.

"Find that weasel!" A ruff voice snapped at the two others.

_'Clarisse.' _Percy thought to himself as he chest tightened out of fear.

He slightly pushed himself even more against the trunk of the tree. It's bark dug into his skin as he focused on being unnaturally still. He felt cold, but it was strange as if it was slithering slowly over his back and around him wrapping him in a numb embrace. He felt himself lean back even farther against the tree, but something seemed wrong. Just a minute ago he had felt bark against parts of his skin, but now it was as if tree was water and he was sinking in. Everything went dark, and just like when Alice went down the rabbit hole he had no idea where he was going.

It was freezing, dark, and loud. Percy was pissed. He had been falling through darkness for what seemed like forever, and at first it was scary, but now he just wanted to get out. He didn't care where he went just as long as it wasn't here.

"Can I fucking leave, now?!" Percy yelled his voice seemed to echo, but against the screams and roars of unknown beings it seemed muted.

He felt a gentle push on his lower back making him spiral further into the unknown. The freezing air rushed pass growing warmer with every second. The monstrous sounds and screams faded into silence. Shouts of excitement became clearer as well as the sound of crickets and locus.

Percy hit the ground hard knocking the air out of him. Dark grass tickled his face as he took deep gulps of moist air. The sounds of leaves rustling above him made him tense. He forced himself to stay still. If he was near Clarisse and her siblings, he would need to escape. He didn't have a sword, and his knives were limited. There was no way he could take on three to one, even if he had been around as long as they had he would have a hard time, as it was he would be slaughtered.

He strained his ears hoping to hear them lumbering about, but no sound came. There was no crunching leaves, no cracking twigs, and no cursing demigods. Percy slowly lifted his head from the grass, and took a quick look around.

Above was the tree tops. To the left bushes. To the right more bushes, and in front of him a tree trunk. He slowly edged to the right, and looked though the bushes. Nothing. He carefully edged to the left and peered though. There. Three pairs of shoes, all sneakers, surrounding a pole. Now, if only he could tell which flag it was. He slowly raised himself up from the ground to peer over the bushes. All of the demigods were faced away from him. There, above them, was a red flag. He was in enemy territory.

He was about to easy himself back down when movement in the tree tops caught his eye. He narrowed his eyes. There was only suppose to be three guards to each flag, and the rest of the demigods had to stay a certain amount of space away from their own flag. Which meant either someone was breaking the rules, or someone from his own team had made their way here.

A flash of blond hair, a sly grin, and a jaunty wave told Percy several things. One, that was Luke. Two, Luke saw him. And three, Percy was probably going to be apart of some half baked plan.

Luke flew away out of Percy's sight. Percy lowered himself to the ground. He wondered what Luke was up to.

"Hey." A voice whispered in his ear.

Percy jerked violently causing the bush to rustle. Luke grabbed a hold of him and flattened them to the ground. Percy felt his heart hammer in his chest as he was held against the ground. Luke's heat sunk into his clothes as the elder boy hovered above him staring wearily at the bush.

Percy held his breath as footsteps came closer. The crunch of leaves and twigs caused Luke and Percy to tense. With every second that passed Percy expected to be found and captured, but that moment never came.

"Silena? What's wrong?" A voice from beyond the bushes asked.

"I thought I heard something." Silena called back.

"It was probably the wind. Get back into position." Another voice ordered.

Percy heard Silena softly grumble as she moved away from the bush. Percy silently let out his breath as Luke got off of him. He rose off of the ground and peeked through the bushes. The three pairs of shoes were farther away now.

Luke held a finger to his lips a signal for silence. Percy nodded in understanding making Luke smile. Luke peeked over the bushes, and saw something that made his smile widen. A shift in the trees on the other side of the field not done by the wind. There was the brief shadow of a hand pushing away tree limbs. Luke hoped that the three guards wouldn't notice because he could use this.

"Percy. I'm gonna go for a little while, and I want you to stay here." Luke whispered.

"Why? What are you doing?" Percy demanded to know in a whisper.

Luke quelled his annoyance as he looked at Percy. His face was dirt smeared, he was pale, and shaking. No doubt this game had given him a hard time. If Luke had to guess he abandoned his post when the Ares cabin came after him, not a very good thing for a follower to do but smart given the situation. He might as well tell him. After all first in commands need to know what their superior is planning, and Percy was way to powerful to not be in command under him of course.

Luke gave a sigh as he explained. "One of our own is in one of the trees, so I'm going to go over to them and get them to distract the guards while I get the flag. Don't worry this game will be over soon."

"Okay, but don't get caught." Percy whispered as Luke slowly moved away.

Luke gave him a look as he whispered back. "Duh. Besides Hermes kid, remember?"

_'That doesn't mean you won't get caught.' _Percy thought sourly in his head, now part of him wanted Luke to get caught just so that ego would go down a bit.

He watched as Luke disappeared in the darkness. He settled down against a tree watching the bushes Luke disappeared into; he hoped this worked. So far Capture the Flag had been kind of boring, and he couldn't see why everyone was so hyped about it. If it hadn't been for Clarisse, and him falling into shadows this whole thing would have been a snore fest.

It didn't take long for Luke to get back. He sent a mischievous smile toward Percy, and then began to watch the three guards. Percy moved closer wanting to see what Luke had planned. Every thing was silent when an arrow came out of nowhere right in to the middle of the guards group.

"What the?" One of the guards said approaching the seemingly normal arrow as they drew their sword.

The sound of metal scrapping on leather as swords and knives were let out of sheaths filled the air. Then a strange hissing filled the air, the guards tensed waiting for something to happen foolishly not keeping their eyes on the arrow, and then the arrow exploded. A nauseous gray colored gas filled the air causing the demigods to cough.

Luke dashed out of the bush leaving a wide eyed Percy to stare after him. Luke disappeared in the smoke. He could see the outline of the other demigods, so he was able to avoid them even with his eyes streaming from the gas. His shirt was pulled over his mouth and nose so the gas wouldn't bother him, but he still needed to move fast. He could see the flag a soft red glow that changed the gray smoke around it.

Luke reached for the flag; he could see the demigod guards lumbering toward him. When something unexpected happened. Wind blew the smoke away. Luke froze in shock for a second before jerking his head to the right to see where that wind had come from. There was a child of Demeter, Luke didn't know his name, but he had a gigantic leaf and was waving it in a fanning motion trying to get the rest of the smoke to blow away.

Quickly, realizing what was about to happen Luke reached for the flag only to stop, for a sword was being pointed at his throat. Blue eyes slid to the left to see a pretty brunette glaring at him with soft brown eyes.

"I don't think so." Silena snapped.

_'Well, that plan bombed.' _Percy thought as he watched Luke back up with his hands up.

Silena kept her sword steady, pointed at Luke's throat, as he backed up. She followed him until he was a couple of feet away from the flag. She heard her teammates walk over to them, so she ordered.

"Search the trees. That arrow probably came from a child of Apollo."

Percy watched as Luke was kept under lock and key by the child of Aphrodite as the two other campers began to look into the trees and bushes. He felt powerless. There was nothing he could do in this situation. Three against one was not good odds. Besides what was the chance of him doing any better then Luke who has more experience. Then his eye was caught by the lone arrow that had released the gas. Maybe he wasn't so alone...

Percy looked at the trees, but couldn't seen any movement in them. There was no easy way to get the archer's attention. If he tried to sneak around he could be caught, and blow the archer's cover. If he stayed here he could be caught. There really wasn't any easy solution, and he wasn't getting anywhere by sitting here.

_'It's just a game.' _Percy thought as he prepared to do something reckless.

_'Might as well have some fun.' _He thought as his legs tensed, and his eyes focused on the flag.

_'It might work...Their focused on the others. Don't even know I'm here.'_ His heart was beating in his chest. He felt anxiety boil in his stomach along with excitement.

Then he burst into movement. All of his anxiety and excitement was pushed into his legs as he leaped from the bushes and rocketed toward the flag. He could hear Luke whooping, the gasp of surprise from the other campers, and felt himself grin wide. He never felt happier then in that moment when his hand closed over the silk blood red flag. He saw the two campers turn and make their way toward him, so he darted to the side clutching the flag to his chest. His feet got tangled in vines that began to snake their way around his legs. Looking up, he caught the sight of Pollux's grin as he stumbled back.

The two campers walked forward confidant in their win; Percy gripped the flag tighter and turned his body slightly shielding it from the other demigods. His eyes darted around trying to find a way out of this. He could see Silena watching from behind Luke still keeping him from moving. The three opposing demigods looks so confident in their victory it was demoralizing Percy.

Percy knew that if he just broke Pollux's concentration, and avoided the child of Demeter, he would be able to escape the vines. He could run with the flag and win this. He just needed a plan, and time. He needed to distract them, but how...How?

Maybe he could scare them. With that thought in mind, Percy mustered up all of his anger from the past couple of days and glared at the approaching demigods. He felt a strange sense of satisfaction as they faltered after all this time trying to be accepted he was using their fear against them. Maybe that was what he was meant to do. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but if he could scare them just enough...They might not bully him anymore.

The two demigods looked at each other nervously, but began to shuffle forward. Percy felt his glare loose some heat as they did so. He didn't know what to do now; his plan didn't work. He had failed. Percy was surprised by how disappointed he felt. Emerald eyes looked sadly toward his teammate as the enemy came within reaching distance.

Luke was smirking. Percy felt his eyes widened when he saw that confident smirk on the blond's face. The shadows and moonlight made Luke appear malevolent.

_'Why is he smirking?' _Percy wondered. _'Is he glade I failed?'_

Percy felt his stomach squirm uncomfortably at the thought. Then Luke did something strange. His blue eyes moved toward the trees. He did it again two more times and gave a barely there nod. Was he trying to tell Percy that he wasn't alone? Percy's eyes darted toward the trees as one of the enemy campers began to reach out to take back their flag. Percy looked down at the approaching hand as he held onto the flag tighter.

"Just give it up Jackson..." Pollux said softly holding out his hand for the flag. "You've lost."

"What are you even doing over here?" The child of Demeter asked. His voice sounded bossy, almost snooty, as he said. "Newbies are never sent into the fray. If Annabeth is using this as a tactic then she's lost her touch. So what, did you go rouge? Try to get some glory or respect by doing your own thing?"

Before Percy could answer an arrow shot between Pollux's hand and himself. Percy jumped back as Pollux jerked his hand back. Both of them turned their heads in shock toward the trees as Will's voice came from the trees.

"Run, Percy!"

Percy did as he was told all the while wondering what Will was doing so far from their flag. The woods were dark, shadows upon shadows, causing him to stumble as he ran. He could hear footsteps behind him moving rapidly. He dared not turn to look to see who was following him knowing that if he did he would surely fall and be caught. His face and arms were scratched by twigs and tree limbs.

Percy felt the breath erupt out of him as his stomach was bashed in by low hanging tree branch. He fell backwards gasping for air. His head rested back allowing him to see what was behind him. Several feet were rushing toward him. Just how far had he ran? He could still feel the silky flag in his hands, and he knew that he should get up and run. He was so tired, though. His eyes fluttered shut, but he forced them open just in time to see a pair of shoes stop right in front of him facing the approaching enemy demigods.

"Get up Percy!" Will's voice came from above him.

"Will?" Percy muttered regaining his breath as he scrambled to his feet.

Instead of answering Will strung up an arrow, aimed, and released. The arrow flew through the air until it pierced the land before one of the approaching demigods feet. That demigod stumbled to a halt causing three others to stop as well. Their comrades ignored them, and so foolishly one of the demigods stepped forward setting off the weight sensitive bomb that was attached to that arrow.

Percy felt himself stumble his eyes locked on the ground as the area around them turned white. Spots danced in his eyes as the light faded and there was a ringing in his ears. He didn't feel like moving, but that didn't matter to Will who grabbed Percy's arm and pushed him forward. Percy looked at Will, but he couldn't see him clearly with the brightly colored spots dancing in his eyes.

Will pushed Percy forward even when he tried to look at him. Will rolled his eyes, and knowing that Percy would not be able to hear him easily pressed his lips to the shell of Percy's ear.

"Keep running. Don't stop until you pass the river. I'll be right here with you." Will whispered pushing his healing powers into his hands to help speed up the clearing of Percy's vision and hearing.

Percy nodded before he started to run. He ran in silence for a couple of minutes the forest in front of him turning white from more exploding arrows behind him as Will kept other demigods away from him. It wasn't long before Percy heard a set of foot steps beside his. He looked to his left quickly to see Will running beside him shooting another arrow.

Will faced forward once more, and glancing to his side he saw Percy looking at him. Emerald eyes gleamed with excitement and joy. Will felt a smile spread across his face as adrenaline pumped though his veins. Glancing at Percy once more he saw the same goofy grin on Percy's face that was on his own.

It didn't take long for the two boys to begin hollering and whooping with joy. They ran faster and faster as the other team chased them. Nothing could diminish their excitement or their determinations, not even Will running out of arrows. They were going to win.

It didn't take long for their team to catch on what was happening, really with the amount of noise those two were making it was a miracle their team didn't catch on sooner. Soon Percy and Will were surrounded by their teammates mostly Apollo and Hermes children. They kept the opposing team away from Percy and Will who focused all their energy on running.

Percy could feel the land change underneath his feet. He went from stumbling over roots to running smoothly over grass. It wasn't long before his shoes and pants were soaked from the river. The river that acted as the boundary line in this game of theirs. Percy stopped at the demigods on his team erupted in cheers. He panted as he looked at Will; they shared a grin as reality hit them. They had won.

Percy jumped as campers began to slap him on the back. He stared wide eyed as the campers smiled at him. He turned to Will as the campers around him began to cheer his last name. Will just laughed and cheered along slapping Percy on the shoulder. Percy felt warmth spread though his body as he grinned broadly. He wished this could last forever...Then it all came tumbling down.

"What the Hades was that?!"

The campers around Percy went quite stepping away from the mad approaching demigod. Percy turned around slowly to see Annabeth stomping toward him. Stupidly, Percy grinned and held up the flag. He expected her to praise him, to be happy, but instead all he got was a glare. Annabeth snatched the flag out of his hands making Percy jerk back in shock.

"Annabeth..." Percy heard Will protest from beside him, but he voice was over taken by hers.

"What are you doing?!" She snapped throwing the flag on the forest floor. "You were suppose to stay in your position!"

"I-I..." Percy stuttered shocked by her anger. He couldn't tell her what really happened so he opted for a lie. "I got lost."

"You ruined my plan!" Annabeth hissed at him gray eyes flashing.

Percy's eyes hardened. He was so sick of this shite. He did something good, and Annabeth decided to jump down his throat. Even worse the other campers were gathering around in a ring watching the fight. His skin crawled with the knowledge that he was at the center of attention, and he just knew that the people who had just congratulated him was now relishing in the fact that someone was tearing him down.

"What plan?" Percy spat. "The plan that got Luke captured? The plan that almost lost the game? I saw a chance and I took it. Because of that we won the game. Face it Chase, if it wasn't for me you would have lost."

Annabeth's face turned red as the campers around her ooh'ed. "My plan would have worked if you just stayed in possession. Luke was the one who was suppose to get the flag."

"Oh I see." Percy hissed out as he leaned forward. He kept his voice quite enough so only Annabeth and himself could hear. He never noticed the air around them getting colder, but Annabeth sure did. To her credit she neither backed down nor did she show any unease.

"You just wanted your crush to gain glory." Percy muttered sharp eyes zeroing in on Annabeth's slight flinch. "I wonder how your mother feels? Knowing that her knowledge bred baby lost all reason because of a silly, little, insignificant, crush."

At first Annabeth's face was bright red; anger made her eyes flash, but as soon as Percy mentioned her mother everything changed. Her face turned white, and her eyes darted to the skies as if she would see Athena's disapproving face peering out of the heavens. That was how Percy knew he struck a nerve, and usually he would feel guilty. He had taken this too far, dragging in a demigod's godly parent was low, but he was too far gone in his righteous anger to care.

"Hey why are you two fighting?" Luke asked as he popped up between Percy and Annaebeth.

"We won!" Luke cheered as he placed an arm around both demigods. "We should be celebrating! Come on lets go to the campfire! Follow me."

And like that the tension was dulled, not gone but lessened. Luke moved ahead of them walking though the group of demigods to presumptively go to the campfire. Annabeth and Percy glared at each other before they started to follow the blond. They stopped; however, when they heard something that was not suppose to be.

A growl echoed though the woods. The demigods shifted nervously grabbing their weapons. Annabeth and Percy turned their backs to one another finding the unseen being a bigger threat than each other. Will grasped for arrows that were not there as he tightened his grip on his bow.

Will's blue eye flit from tree to tree. Something about this felt eerily familiar. Sweat beaded on his brow. The smell of fear and sweat from the other demigods filled his nose. Then he heard something that caused the breath in his chest to freeze. Fighting. Two demigods began to fight each believing that this was a prank caused by the other.

His vision. Will swallowed as his eyes darted even faster from tree to tree. He felt his tension and panic rise as the other demigods began to relax. Where was Chiron? He had blown the conch shell of victory, but he was not in sight. Had he left with some of the other demigods, the ones not entranced by Percy's and Annabeth's fight, to go to the fire pit?

Then a growl was heard closer to the demigods. Instantly the fighting stopped as they realized this was not a joke. They closed ranks hoping to protect each other. But what was making that noise?

It soon became clear when a dark figure erupted from the shadows. Demigods dunked in fear staring over head as gigantic paws flew over head. Some jabbed at the furry underbelly of the black beast their shaking spears barely making a scratch. The scent of sulfur burned their nostrils as the deep growl filled their ears. It became clear that they would have to wait for an opening to attack hopefully no one would be hurt.

Sadly that hope was not fulfilled. The Hell Hound was heading straight for Annabeth and Percy. Luckily Percy was yanked out of the way by Will, who really wished he had some arrows right now, but Annabeth wasn't so lucky. She dodged out of the way just enough to not get hit straight on, but her arm did get struck. A scream ripped from her throat as there was a wet popping sound. She fell to the ground crying cradling her arm.

Percy stared in horror at Annabeth's sobbing figure. Her arm was weirdly angled with gentle rivers of blood making their way down from small bone white protrusions. Percy felt his stomach heave; he needed to look away before he became sick, but he couldn't. He couldn't even be bothered to look toward the growling of the Hell Hound right beside him.

Even if he took no notice of the Hell Hound the other demigods did. Arrows and spears flew toward the monster. Each on pierced it's hide with scary precision. It didn't take long for the demon dog to dissolve into golden dust. As some campers ran to get their spears, several Apollo and Athena campers crowded around Annabeth.

As they tried to gently pick her up Clarrise, who was gathering her own spear, yelled out.

"It was Jackson! He summoned the Hell Hound!"

"What? I don't -" Percy broke off his plea as the campers turned distrusting eyes on him.

He search for an ally, someone to believe him, but only found hard eyes filled with weariness. His emerald eyes locked on Annabeth's silver ones only to find pain within them. He turned his head to look at Will, and found he wasn't alone. Will didn't look at him with distrust, so there must be others who would believe him.

"I didn't do it? I don't even know how I would?" Percy argued turning his head back toward the other campers.

The campers shifted as Clarisse screamed at him.

"Bull shite! We all know there's something weird about you Jackson! Everything was fine before you came along!"

To Percy's horror there was muttered agreement among the others prompting Clarisse to continue.

"You should just leave." Clarisse hissed at him as she clinched her jaw and her brown eyes flashed. "No one wants you here anyway."

Percy flinched at the true words; he knew they were true. He could see it written on the face of every camper that passed by. It didn't take long for him to be alone staring at the backs of the last demigods that left. Or at least he thought he was alone.

Percy jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. His watery eyes looked at the owner. He scrubbed at his face trying to remove his tears as he muttered brokenly.

"I didn't do it."

"I know." Will said softly. His heart hurt from seeing Percy like this. He looked like a kicked puppy.

There was silence for a moment as Percy collected himself. Will walked forward a bit, but waited for Percy allowing him to calm himself down.

With a sniff Percy said. "So guarding the flag, huh?"

Will felt himself flinch and stiffen as he looked over his shoulder. Percy's eyes dug into him accusingly. Will felt himself grow hot as he flushed with shame. He had lied to Percy...For no reason. Not a good one at least. He had been more concerned with having fun than helping his fri- fellow camper. At this point he wasn't even sure if Percy considered him a friend.

"I get it." Percy said his voice bleak. "You didn't want to be stuck babysitting the new kid, right?"

Will winced, but stayed silent. He deserved any tongue lashing that Percy gave him.

"I would have done the same thing." Percy admitted to Will with a sigh.

Blue eyes widened in shock as Will turned toward Percy. Percy looked so tired, so defeated, that Will felt himself wilt.

"I'm sorry." Will choked out.

"Forget it." Percy sighed rubbing his hand down his face.

"How did you end up over there anyway?" Will asked as he shifted on his feet.

"Clarisse and her goons tracked me down. I escaped." Percy said avoiding telling of the darkest part of his venture.

Will nodded shoving his hands in his pockets. He looked to the path the other campers had took.

"You want to head on up to the sing along now?" He asked.

He didn't see Percy nodding dully, but heard his feet traveling forward, so he began walking too. They walked in silence each in their own personal worlds. Will agonized over hurting Percy for no reason while trying to fight off the need to back away from the spooky boy. Percy agonized about how the other campers would act around him now knowing that it wouldn't be good.

He was right. Instead of getting cheers and high fives he got cold stares and whispers. The Athena cabin glared at him falling for the stupid notion that he had summoned the monster. It didn't even make sense. Though it seemed this camp was good at making him the scape goat, so why not?

Percy couldn't help but roll his eyes as he sat next to Luke, the only one still happy with the win though he was slightly subdued when he heard of Annabeth's injury, as Will went over to his siblings who quickly swarmed him checking him over to make sure Jackson didn't hurt him. Percy watched this with dull eyes until Luke slapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on man, we won, smile!" Luke said a blinding smile on his face.

"Maybe...But I still screwed up." Percy muttered Annabeth's voice ringing in his ear.

"Don't worry about it. Annabeth just has trouble being out of control." Luke said shrugging it off as his smile dimmed. "It did suck that she got hit by that hell hound."

"You know about that?!" Percy gaped shocked.

"Dude, everyone knows about that. Few things stay secret in this place. Those that do don't stay that way for long." Luke said bringing up a can of pop to his lips.

"I didn't do it." Percy said staring at Luke challengingly.

_'Go on. Be like the rest. Turn your back on me.' _Percy thought bitterly.

"No duh, only a bunch of idiots would believe a newbie, who hasn't even been here for a week,

could summon a Hell Hound in camp borders." Luke snorted as he started to roast another marshmallow. This was his third one. He decided to treat himself, and pig out a bit for winning tonight.

Percy went silent even as he shook his head refusing the offered smore. He watched Luke shrug and ate it. Percy turned to the fire wrapping his arms around his knees.

"No like anyone tried to keep it a secret. They have to warn everyone about that big bad freak Jackson." Percy whispered angerly.

Luke didn't have anything to say to that, so he kept quite. He did, however, keep his eyes on Percy. He wasn't surprised when Percy stood up and said he was going to bed. Nor was he surprised by the sudden increase in chatter and happiness as soon as Percy was gone. He was surprised by his own feelings. Instead of being happy that Percy was being cut off from the others, and closer to joining Kronos in the process, he was sad that Percy was hurting and mad at the others for hurting him. Looking up he saw that same emotions in Will's eyes, but never saw them in a pair of brown eyes that sat with the Aphrodite cabin.

Review! Sorry this one is short, I couldn't think of many things to go in there.


End file.
